TOUGH LOSS

Weddington Community 43 – Arborbrook 37

Every one of our games seems to go down to the last minute, this was no exception.  We held the lead for the first half and Weddington took control  in the second half.  We were never more than 6 behind and came within 2 points of the lead with 1:30 left in the game.  This was probably our worst game of the season but credit must be given to Weddington Community, their players wanted the game more than we did.  Weddington played a more aggressive defense than we have seen, captured every loose ball, and dictated the flow of the game. 

The first quarter started out great.  We came out focused and fired up while building a 15-3 lead.  The game was actually lost at this point.  We have never played from a lead before and this lead came too easily.  We lost our intensity level while Weddington intensified theirs.  The first quarter ended with the Falcons holding a 15-9 lead.

The second quarter was a sign of things to come.  Weddington outscored us 12-8 but we still took a 2 point lead into the locker room thanks to 2 free throws by Nate Johnson with no time left on the clock.  The third quarter was helter skelter for us.  Anything that could go wrong did go wrong.  Bad shots, numerous fouls, and poor ball handling sent us to the fourth quarter trailing 28-23.  We settled down in the fourth quarter and Trey Barnes tried to keep us in the game scoring 8 points.  We just could not catch them as a Weddington guard knocked down a 3 pointer and then hit 4 straight free throws.  It was a good game.   Nate Johnson finished the game with 25 points, 21 in the first half.  Nate also had 10 rebounds.  Trey Barnes scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.  Mitch Moore and Daniel Zangmeister each added a basket, Mitch also had 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots.  Josh Black did not score but picked up 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots.

Our next game is Thursday at 4:00 at Mineral Springs against Fletcher School.

LADY FALCONS TAKE HOME FIRST VICTORY

Arborbrook 23 – St. Stephen’s 11

The game began with a strong tip off by Siara Heidorn to Mariah Hughes.  Mariah passes to Johanna Davidson who scores within the first four seconds of play.  Although they will come close, St. Stephens will never take the lead tonight; this game belonged to the Falcons.

Arborbrook girls show incredible improvement in all aspects of the game.  They’re stronger, faster and smarter in their game.  Their sharp passes and perseverance in a full court press gave them the edge.  And speaking of edges, Olivia Edge was amazing under the boards as she pulled down 11 rebounds.  Mariah Hughes took command of the ball with five steals and 15 points!  Olivia added four points to the team score with Siara Heidorn and Johanna Davidson contributing with two points each.

It was sweet victory for the lady falcons and with an increased confidence they look forward to facing St. Stephens again next Friday at Carmel Baptist gymnasium at 9:00 pm.

DEFENSE LEADS TO VICTORY

Arborbrook 31 – United Faith 23

Before I get into last night’s game let me say our fans are a home teams nightmare (quote from my wife).   We have more fans than the home team and they are much louder.  Once again let me say thank you to every one that attended the game, it was fun wasn’t it.

We practiced defense all week and it showed in the game.  We also anticipated United Faith would play a box and one on Nate Johnson and they did.  This was our second meeting with United Faith and we were eager for a rematch.   One of the patterns we seem to be developing is a slow start at the beginning of the game.  We did not score until the 1st quarter was more than half over but our zone defense proved very effective.  We held a 4 -0 lead until late in the quarter when United Faith scored their first basket.

United Faith scored the first 5 points in the second quarter for a 7-4 lead before our offense finally saw some shots drop.  We had numerous shots at the basket but they seemed to hang on the rim and drop out.  Nate Johnson made a couple of driving lay ups and Mitch Moore hit a long shot from the top of the lane and we took a 12-9 lead into the locker room.  Coach told the players he was extremely pleased with our aggressive defense and going after loose balls.  If only half our shots had dropped, we would be 20 points ahead.

Everything happened quickly in the third quarter.  We took a 14-9 lead then in the blink of an eye fell behind 17-14.  United Faith hit a 3 pointer and made 2 steals.  This game was starting to look like a replay of the last game.  Nate Johnson scored five points in the quarter but was on the bench when Mitch Moore made another long shot and Josh Black made a short jumper from the left of the lane.  We trailed 23-21 going into the fourth quarter.

Our Defense took over the game.  United Faith had trouble getting a shot off, had trouble passing, and actually looked lost on the court.  Meanwhile, Nate tied the game on a steal and a driving layup, gave us the lead on a rebound and a coast to coast layup, and hit a jump shot from the foul line.  Mitch and Josh scored the final two baskets on great defensive steals.  The defense shut out United Faith in the 4th quarter.  United Faith scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter but only scored 9 points in the other three quarters combined. 

Nate Johnson ended the game with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Mitch Moore scored 6 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  Josh Black  added 4 points with 5 rebounds and 1 steal.  Trey Barnes did not score but played good defense with 6 rebounds and 1 steal.  Caleb Farmer directed the offense for most of the game and did another great job.  Caleb is a natural point guard and floor leader.

One other point that I noticed and maybe no one else did.  Coach Scott talks about writing out own legacy.  Obviously our fans  and team spirit will be a part of this legacy but I believe sportsmanship should also apply.  This was a closely contested game and emotions were high.  Mitch Moore and a United Faith player hit each other hard going after a loose ball.  Mitch was the first one up and immediately went over to the other player, helped him up and checked to see if he was all right before heading down the court.  Two minutes later, Nate Johnson went in for a hard layup, hit number 22  of United Faith hard enough to knock him off his feet.  Once again Nate went immediately to the other player, helped him back to his feet and checked to make sure he was okay.  This is not the first time I have seen this.  The players did not learn this from the coaches even though they probably should have.  Helping an opposing player up relates to character and character comes from the parents.  Thank you parents for making the coaching staff look good.

We have another game Monday against Weddington Community Church at Mineral Springs.  Game Time is 4:30.

GAME ON

The Boys Basketball Game against United Faith is still being held as scheduled (4:30pm).  See you there.

SNOW

Boys Basketball Practice – Thursday Jan 16

Snow – what does basketball have to do with snow?  Well, nothing really.  I woke up this morning at 3:00 AM and saw snow on the ground.  I had forgotten how beautiful snow can be, one of God’s perfect creations.  After a few seconds I came back to my senses and realized you can’t walk on snow, you can’t drive on snow, it turns black on the streets and parking lots, it causes accidents, and worst of all, it must be cold to have snow.  However, if you can enjoy the moment, it is awesome to see what God can do with a little bit of water.

Basketball practice was good.  This was a great week for practice.  Everyone was focused and I believe everyone played as hard as they could.  Three players set personal bests in our Tar Heel Drill (6 point shooting): Hank Booth, Matthew Pedemonte, and Daniel Zangmeister.  We worked hard on conditioning the first part of practice, showed players how to attack a box and one defense, and scrimmaged the last part of practice. 

Coach Scott asked the players a question for the team huddle.  What are people saying about Arborbrook Basketball?  What do you want people to say about Arborbrook Basketball?  This is Arborbrook’s first team and will be remembered for something.  They are writing their own legacy right now. 

Game today at 4:30 at United Faith.  They beat us by 4 points last time we played, this should be another good game.