SB Basketball: Strong Showing at the Anderson  

 

Out of the eight teams in the tournament, ASJ (who play in D4-6 out in Thetford) was ranked 8^th, and it did not take long to see that their league had not prepared them for D4 and D3 teams, especially in transition. It seemed like every ASJ possession ended with a stampede of Spartans galloping down the court and scoring a fast-break layup. Guards, forwards, post players (9 out of 10 players scored in the first half) – no matter who it was, Stanstead was a tidal wave that couldn’t be stopped. In fact, despite only two jump shots made (consecutive 3s by Daniel), it was 52-16 at halftime, the most points SC had scored in a half this year, by far.

 

Ultimately, kudos to the boys for coming out of the gate with intensity, for playing with class in the second half, and to Jeremy for his Hard Hat Award, marked by solid defence and rebounding, more aggression on offence and the first free throws of his high school career – we won’t mention whether he made them or not… A rollicking party that ended up 80-41, the Red & White had kicked off the Anderson in style. Up next – the two-time defending champs.

 

St. Johns is a juggernaut. They’re experienced, they’re fast, they press and they can shoot. I mean, really shoot. Playing zone against them means two things: 1) you gotta fly around the perimeter, and 2) you gotta hope they miss a few.

 

Well, they didn’t miss. In the best display of marksmanship I’ve seen in years, the Knights hit 13 triples on the game, including five in a row in a first quarter that ended 28-7. You would forgive our boys if this onslaught rattled them, if they lost faith, if their effort and belief dipped.

 

But during the one-minute break in between quarters, the boys shook it off, dug in and went out even harder.

 

The defence stiffened (Emilio and Luke were flying around the top). The turnovers stopped. Hard Hat winner Patito was a demon at point guard, slicing through the pressure (with timely help from Daniel), gaining the middle of the floor, setting up his teammates. Jeremiah, Augie, Bo, Josh and Victor all hit the boards. Bo went off for 10 fourth-quarter points, a testament to his fitness. And best of all, we sprinted the floor and successfully attacked a very good D3 team. When the dust cleared, your Spartans had won the last three quarters 32-31 versus the steamroller that would go on to win the tournament for the third year in a row.

 

Coach Blair and I could not be prouder.

 

With both teams coming in at 1-1, everything rested on this one. A true “must-win,” with the Anderson semi-finals at stake. And after your Spartans built a 28-15 first-half lead, things looked good, i.e. seven Spartans had scored (led by Hard Hat winner Victor’s defensive boards, outlet passes and 6 paint points), our defence was confusing our opponents and we were doing our fast-break thing.

 

But for the first time in a looong while, the wheels came off in the second half. Our energy dipped, we started losing the 50/50s, we stopped boxing out entirely (which kept us from running), and JFK started raining 3s (eight in the game). When the dust cleared, we’d been outscored 18-5(!) in the third quarter – a true shellacking that tied the game 33-33 going into the fourth. We were shaky. On the precipice. But when in doubt, put your trust in Bo! Refusing to lose, the big fella put us on his back and pulled us back from the edge, scoring 11(!) of our 13 fourth-quarter points to drag us to a 46-45 nail-biting win. Phew! We’d punched our ticket to the semis – where QHS was waiting. 

 

If ever a game taught me just how well this team can play, this was that game. The competition could not have been stronger, i.e. an undefeated, athletic D3 team with the loudest supporters in the tournament. The stakes could not have been higher – a trip to the final. And your Spartans could not have answered the bell any better than they did.

 

Every possession. Every rebound. Every deflection and fast break and loose ball. Every second was a prize fight against an experienced, well-coached team that never, ever lets up. And our boys refused to back down. Patito knifed through the full court pressure with confidence, speed and poise (and even produced the Lego Block Of The Game in the fourth quarter – no, it was not a foul!). Daniel was an offensive threat every time he touched the ball. Josh and Bo attacked fearlessly. Luke and Patito worked their tails off to deny the high post to the Blazers’ all-world centre #22. The entire team played at Mach 1 on offence AND defence. And Hard Hat winner Augie was an absolute beast on the boards, fending off #22, while tirelessly sprinting up and down the floor as if he could have played for days.

 

Ultimately, the scoreboard will show that we lost 49-36, but it was 42-34 with three minutes to play, and we actually left quite a few points on the rim. With a little better finishing, this game could have gone down to the wire. With a little better finishing, we were there. Right. There.

 

Bottom line: we played three great games out of four, stood up to two strong D3 teams and were several blown layups away from potentially making the Anderson final. We are in the business end of the season now. And gentlemen, we are peaking.

 

Bring it on.

- Coaches VD & B

 

Overall Record:  10 wins 7 losses      

Points for per game:  46.9     Points allowed per game:  38.7