Arborbrook 52 – Fletcher School 28
Arborbrook improved its record to 3-4 yesterday with an easy win over Fletcher School. Eleven of the twelve players scored for the Falcons while each player made a major contribution to the victory. This game is a barometer of how far we have come as a team. We had taller and better athletes on the floor, but we have had that before. Our team is just now understanding how to play the game of basketball. Remember where we started. Most of the team had never played organized basketball. They did not know how to dribble, pass, run or shoot. Most of them did not even know the rules. If we had played Fletcher the first game of the season the score would have been drasticlly different.
Our starting five overwhelmed Fletcher in the first 5 minutes of the game building up a 17-2 lead, then found themselves on the bench for the rest of the first half. This was a chance to give all the other players significant playing time. The 1st quarter ended with the Falcons leading 17-4.
The second quarter started out slow for both teams. We must have had 5 or 6 shots roll off the rim but our defense was excellent and we were the more aggressive team. The score at half time was 21-10.
We mixed our starters with our reserves for the 3rd quarter and put the game away by scoring 18 points. Nate Johnson, who played only 3 minutes in the third quarter and less than a quarter for the whole game, was very effective at setting up his teammates. The Falcons made 8 free throws in the 3rd quarter lead by Mitch Moore making 4 straight in a 20 second spand. The quarter ended with the Falcons leading 39-19.
No member of the starting five played in the fourth quarter but it made little difference. All our players had gained confidence and we continued to pull away. The final score was 52-28. Sports is all about confidence. Sometimes it takes a game like this to build the confidence you need in order to successfully compete. We may have turned a cornor, we will see.
Highlights and stats: Mitch Moore and Nate Johnson lead the team in scoring, each with 14 points. Nate also had 10 rebounds, 2 steals and was a dominate pressence on the floor. Mitch played less than a quarter but was all over the floor as usual. Mitch had 4 rebounds, a steal, a blocked shot, and 2 assists. Daniel Zangmeister added 5 points along with 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Daniel is starting to learn how to play defense. Matthew Pedemonte scored 4 points along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Matthew played outstanding defense this game. Ryan Brown came from off the bench to play his best game of the season. Ryan scored 4 points on 2 baskets but helped control the boards with 7 rebounds and picked up several loose balls. Hank Booth continues to improve also scoring 4 points . Both Hank’s baskets came off missed shots that he rebounded and put back in. Joel VanDusen scored 2 points and was also a force under the boards. Joel came up with 8 rebounds and once again played solid defense. Trey Barnes played less than a quarter but still knocked down 2 free throws and grabbed 2 rebounds. Caleb Farmer scored 1 point playing limited time but contributed 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 rebound. Josh Black also played less than a quarter, hit one free throw, came up with 2 steals and 1 rebound. Once again, Josh’s defense was outstanding. Alan Fox had the most hard luck of any player on the floor. Alan is a 5th grader and the smallest player on the floor. Alan scored 1 point and made some outstanding plays and some great drives to the basket. He had 3 shots that rolled around the rim and just wouldn’t drop. Alan is the future star of this team. That leaves us with Caleb Robinson who did not score but turned in his best game. We are having trouble getting Caleb to take any shots but his presence in the game is always felt. Caleb made the best block of the game and one of the best of the season. A Fletcher School forward was driving to the basket and put up a shot that Caleb blocked and then caught the ball in the air and quickly passed to our point guard. It was a great play. It was a great game. Our next game is Tuesday, January 29 at 7:15. We play Carmel Baptist on their home floor.
