SB Basketball: A CAIS of Revenge

 

The CAIS Tournament at Ridley College kicked off with a thrilling showcase of basketball prowess as SC took the court against Albert College in their Day 1 opener. The game, played in the stunning field house at Ridley, ended in a hard-fought 44-39 victory for SC, setting a strong tone for the weekend. 

 

The weekend actually began with a high-energy prep game between Ridley College and Lincoln Prep, offering SC players a first-hand look at top-tier basketball. The fast-paced, above-the-rim action served as an inspiring demonstration of elite skills and teamwork. 

 

By the next morning, it was SC’s turn to step onto the hardwood. Facing a scrappy Albert College squad, SC initially struggled to find their rhythm. Nervousness on the outlet passes and hesitation to push the ball up the floor disrupted their transition game, leading to unforced errors. But four minutes into the game, SC turned up the intensity. 

 

Stifling defensive pressure forced turnovers, igniting SC’s transition game and shifting the momentum in their favor. With all 11 players seeing action, SC leveraged their depth to run Albert College ragged. 

 

Despite the victory, the team recognized areas for growth: 

That said, SC’s relentless pace and ability to rotate fresh legs kept Albert College on their heels, wearing them down as the game progressed. The victory showcased SC’s depth, grit, and potential for success in the tournament. 

 

 

Round Robin Game #2 vs BCS
SC closed out Day 1 of the CAIS Tournament with an emphatic 53-27 victory over Bishop’s College School. Building on lessons from their earlier game, SC hit the ground running, establishing dominance from the opening whistle and showcasing the depth and relentless pace that have become their trademarks. 

 

Recent games have seen SC start slowly, forcing them to dig out of early deficits. This time, the team came prepared, executing their game plan with precision from the outset. A deep roster allowed SC to maintain a high tempo throughout, a strategy that overwhelmed BCS’s shorter bench and left their opponents exhausted by the second half. 

 

The matchup with their prep school rivals energized the SC squad, who used the game as an opportunity to refine their skills and put on an impressive display. 

 

SC’s depth and energy proved to be the deciding factors, as their fast-paced approach wore down BCS and opened up a decisive second-half lead. 

 

Despite the dominant win, Coaches Van Dyke and Blair noted a key area for improvement: finishing at the basket. While the team’s offensive tempo was strong, missed opportunities at the rim kept their scoring percentage lower than it should be. Against tougher opponents, capitalizing on every scoring chance will be crucial. 

 

SC finished Day 1 with two impressive victories, setting a strong foundation for the rest of the tournament. The team looked to carry their momentum into Day 2, where they would face Gray Academy in what promised to be another exciting matchup. 

 

Round Robin Game #3 vs Gray Academy 
After a strong opening day at the CAIS Tournament, SC hit a roadblock in their third game, falling 52-33 to a determined Gray Academy squad. Both teams entered the match undefeated, but SC struggled to find their footing early, leading to a deficit they couldn’t overcome. 

 

The clash, held in the field house at Ridley College, began with Gray Academy taking full control. SC appeared passive and overconfident, and Gray Academy capitalized on the slow start, forcing turnovers and turning them into fast-break points. 

 

The SC coaching staff, aware of Gray Academy’s strong lineup, had emphasized the importance of starting strong. But by the end of the first quarter, SC trailed by 17 points, a gap that proved too wide to close. 

Although SC showed flashes of brilliance in the second quarter, matching Gray Academy in effort and execution, the damage had been done. The game settled into a back-and-forth rhythm, but SC couldn’t mount a comeback. 

 

The loss revealed key areas SC needs to address to reach the next level: 

Despite the loss, SC secured second place in their pool and advanced to the crossover round. Later in the day, they would face a formidable West Island College team from Montreal. 

 

Coaches Van Dyke and Blair remained optimistic, focusing on the team’s effort and resilience as they prepared for the next challenge. With the lessons learned from this game, SC had an opportunity to regroup and showcase their potential as they continued their CAIS Tournament journey. 

 

 

We went into this semi with a plan to take WIC’s best player out of the game - #35, a smooth, talented 6’4” post player – and force our opponents to find someone else to beat us. The good news is we barely let #35 touch the ball. The bad news is, WIC indeed found other players to beat us. Lots of players.

 

It did not take long for us to realize we were outclassed. West Island mauled us defensively, challenging every dribble and every pass. Strategically, they effortlessly exploited holes in our zone. And, most importantly, they were too athletic for us. They played faster and higher than us, and when we changed our defence to disrupt their momentum, it took them about two minutes to solve the puzzle and start draining threes at a murderous rate.

 

It’s tough being on the wrong end of a blowout. Tough on the ego. Tough on the pride. How you react says quite a bit about the athlete you are. Some of us reacted by digging in, playing harder and fighting until the end, like Hard Hat winner Augie. But some of us turned on teammates, checked out mentally and whined about playing time. The post-game discussion after this 68-34 drubbing was not about the score, but rather some of our body language and selfishness in putting ourselves above the team. It was not an easy discussion, but it was an honest one. Kudos to the boys for not shying away, for meeting it head on.

 

Success in basketball is not easy. Worthwhile things seldom are.

 

Our final game of CAIS, while technically a “nothing” game (the winner would officially finish third in our division), turned out to be anything but “nothing.” Due to a quirk in the schedule, we found ourselves matched up in a revenge game against Gray Academy. Not only did Gray beat us by 19 in our third-round robin game, but it had been a spicy match, with opposing players having words throughout the game and even during the handshake line. Your Spartans wanted to win this one. Badly. I’m not gonna lie. So did I.

 

So we adjusted our defence to focus on their best player (#9), and even tweaked our lineup, with Josh starting at the 1, Jeremy trying the 3, and Bo moving to the 5. Lotta changes. How would the boys react? They came out flying! From the opening tip, your Spartans were disruptive on defence, attacked on offence, ran the floor intelligently and outworked the same team that had outworked them a day earlier. What a turnaround!

 

Quite a few of the boyz were good in this one. Josh improved every quarter at point guard and played the top of the new zone like he’d done it his whole life. Victor made those hard-nosed Victor plays he always makes, plus a pretty turnaround elbow jumper that brought out a huge smile. Jeremy shot more confidently from outside, and Luke and Emilio took turns being a thorn in #9’s side.

 

But Player Of The Game honours go to Daniel and Bo, two accomplished veterans who have had a little trouble adjusting to this season’s playing style and who both broke out with their best games of the year. Daniel worked his tail off defensively, fed the floor in transition and was the game’s high scorer on a series of confident finishes and silky jumpers. And Hard Hat recipient Bo was at his bruising best down low, clearing space, swallowing rebounds and attacking the rim every chance he got.

 

When the dust settled, the scoreboard read 44-35 for the good guys – a 28(!) point improvement. Bring on that handshake line. The Red & White had gotten their revenge. How sweet it is.

 

Congratulations, boys, for how far you all came this weekend. You worked your butts off, you got better, you learned some important lessons, and you came together as a team in that final game to send Gray back to Manitoba wondering why the second time we met was oh so different from the first.

 

Well done, men. Next up, the most important league game of the season so far, vs the team who handily beat us in the first game of the year: Richmond Regional Part II – The Rematch.

 

Can we get it done in another revenge game? See you Wednesday 5:30 pm to find out…!