SB Basketball: Tables Get Turned @ Claretain

 

But we were not prepared for what Claretain had in store for us. We started in a zone, but they splashed six(!) threes in the first half, led by two knockdown shooters whose strokes were so pure it looked like everything they shot was going in. So we switched to a defence that would shut down those two scorers – and they smoothly went on a 10-0 run led completely by the other players on the floor. So back to the zone we went… and they went right back to draining threes.

 

I must admit, it is not often that Coach Blair and I do not know how to make it tough for a team to score against us, but that’s how we felt early in the fourth quarter. We were only down 41-36, but it felt like we were giving up a great look every possession. And with our own offence having completely dried up (we only scored 5 pts in the third quarter), the momentum was entirely against us. We were in hostile territory, we were rattled, and we were confused. How had Claretain gotten this good? Is this even the same team?

 

Well, the answer is of course they were the same team. But they are well-coached, they spent the last six weeks improving, they were motivated to beat us, and when they got hot from outside they stayed hot. It’s easy to forget in sports that the other guys are the stars of their own story. Sometimes the other team is the one that gets the Hollywood ending.

 

Which is what happened on this day. Claretain kept scoring and their fans kept going nuts, which flustered us on defence AND offence. Afraid to fall further behind, we made ill-advised drives, threw impatient passes and forced up terrible shots. It got ugly. We tried one last defensive tactic – pressure man to man – but Claretain once again adjusted easily and carved us up. When the smoke cleared, we’d been outscored 38-14(!) in the second half and lost 59-45 in our worst defensive performance since WIC rolled us at CAIS.

 

Getting on the bus to go home, I’m not gonna lie – we were a little shell-shocked. But after a day to think it over, I’ve remembered that other teams are allowed to have great games, too.

 

I’ve also come to appreciate that this league is a great league. Meaning competitive. Meaning unpredictable. If we make the 8-team playoffs (we need to win one of our last two games to guarantee ourselves a spot), I believe the championship banner is up for grabs. There is so little separating the top teams. It will come down to match-ups. And I like our chances.

 

But we’ve got to make the playoffs first. Win one of the next two. That’s the mission. That is all that matters now in this 2024-25 basketball season. We’ve got to give ourselves a chance.

 

One of the next two.

 

Coaches VD & B

 

Overall Record:  12 wins 11 losses      

Points for per game:  48.3     Points allowed per game:  41.8