WINNING IS MORE THAN SCORING THE MOST POINTS

Shield of Faith 50 – Arborbrook 34

Yesterday’s game brought us back down to earth.  The coaches, the team, and the fans were all sky high after Tuesday’s victory over Lake Park.  We have played so well for so long that I felt we could win this tournament, maybe we all did.  It’s a lot more fun to win.  Since we now have our feet on the ground let’s take a look at this game.   There was bound to be a let down after the Lake Park game and there was.  If you look at the five teams in the tournament you have to ask yourself why we were even there.  The age and height differential is tremendous.  However, we played our way into this tournament and earned the right to compete.  We still looked like kids in a world of adults.  If you throw out the game against Garr, we played our worst game of the season.  We traveled and made bad passes.  We stepped on the base line throwing the ball in.  We did not shoot well.   Shield of Faith played with more composure and forced us into turnovers with their aggressive defense.  They were faster and had quick hands which enabled them to steal the ball and score some easy points.   On this day, Shield of Faith was a better team.   That’s the negatives.  That’s basketball.

At first I thought we were a little intimidated.  But the way Mitch played showed no fear.  Nate is never intimidated.  Josh brushed opposing players aside like they weren’t there.  Trey grabbed rebounds out of the hands of Shield of Faith’s players.  Caleb Farmer would of looked them in the eye and said “give me your best shot” if someone would have picked him up so he could see their eyes.  (Caleb had 4 steals)   There was no intimidation factor.  We did not complain about the referees or their calls.   We did not get down and pound the wall like our opponents when we made a mistake.  We never stopped trying, we never gave up, we played with all our heart, and we lost like champions.  Coach has stressed all year that there is more to winning than scoring the most points.  We won this game in every way possible except on the scoreboard.  You cannot ask more of anyone than to give their best.  I have said this before and I will continue to say it.  I am proud of these kids, and they are still kids, they are not high school players.  Can you imagine how good this team will be in three or four years?  Here’s the thing.  Nothing went right for us but half way through the 4th quarter everyone in the gym thought we could still win  including the opposing coaches.  There will be another day.

The 1st quarter started out great,  The Falcons took an 11-4 lead hitting our first 5 shots.  Nate as usual opened the scoring while Caleb Farmer hit a great shot from just inside the three point line.  Shield of Faith  made a couple of steals for some quick baskets and took a one point lead into the 2nd quarter.  Our scoring started to drop off as Shield of Faith was in the middle of a 14 point run.  We were trailing 18-11 when Mitch hit great shot with his foot on the three point line.  We need to teach Mitch to step back a few inches.  Shield of Faith was holding us to only one shot and when they didn’t fall we ended up with only 7 points in the quarter.   The half time score was 27-18.

We probably lost the game in the third quarter.  We made only 3 of 15 shots.  Someone shrunk the size of the hoop and the ball just wouldn’t  fit.  These were all good shots, it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t go in.  Josh scored two nice baskets and Mitch grabbed an offensive rebound that he put back in.  We scored 6 points for the quarter but we still had two chances to pull with five of the lead.  We missed a lay up that was converted to a three point basket at the other end and Shield of Faith scored the last 8 points of the quarter for a 41-24 lead. 

We switched to a zone press which was not highly successful but did create a couple of turnovers.  We cut the lead from 19 to 13 but that would be as close as we could come.   The final score was 50-34.  We congratulated the other team and turned our attention to the giants from First Assembly, today’s game.  

Team Stats:  Nate scored 24 points, grabbed an amazing 16 rebounds with 2 assists and 3 blocked shots.   Mitch scored 4 points, had 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist.  Josh scored 4 points with 4 rebounds.  Caleb Farmer scored 2 points with 4 steals, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.  Trey picked up 3 rebounds with 1 steal.  Alan Fox had a steal, Daniel Zangmeister grabbed a rebound, and Joel VanDusen had a rebound. 

UPDATED BRACKET

Click on the link below to view the Boys & Girls tournament bracket.  All games are being played at Shield of Faith Christian Academy in Rock Hill.

TOURNAMENT BRACKET

WHEW! CAN WE BREATHE YET?

Lady Falcons 21 – Shield of Faith 19

Falcons 46 – Lake Park 42

I am not sure there are words to explain yesterday afternoon.  ARBORBROOK ROCKS!   The fan support was tremendous once again.  Both teams played their first ever tournament games.  Both teams came away with victories that were not decided until the final seconds.  Both teams refused to break under extreme pressure. 

I do not have the stats from the girls game and I missed a good part of the second half so I cannot give it the write up it deserves.  What I do know is this team has improved so much since the beginning of the season that the parents, coaching staff, and school should be proud to have them wear the Arborbrook name.   The Lady Falcons could not have won this game two months ago, in fact they could not have won this game last month.  They pass the ball well, take good solid shots, rebound well, play great defense, and never give up.   This game was no exception.  They fell behind 7-1 at the end of the first quarter but increased the intensity of their defense and went into half time with a 9-9 tie.  They looked nervous in the first quarter and when they relaxed they relized they could play with Shield of Faith.  The girls took a 13-9 lead in the 3rd quarter and the next time I saw the score it was 19-17 with one minute left in the game.  Shield of Faith tried everything they could do to score but the Lady Falcons did not fold.  That last minute seemed to take forever, the clock just wouldn’t move more than a couple of seconds at a time.  I am sorry I do not have the stats but from what I saw, every girl on the floor contributed to this victory.  I know at least four different players put points on the board for a balanced scoring attack.  This was a great game and set the tone for the boys game that would be played next. 

The boys game against Lake Park would be the third time we have played them in the last four weeks.  It is difficult to beat the same team three times in a season let alone a month.   We didn’t exactly blow them off the floor the first two games so we new the odds were against us and it would be a tough game probably not decided until the 4th quarter.  We had to keep Nate out of foul trouble and box out to have any chance of winning.  Of course we didn’t expect Mitch and Trey to both get into foul trouble by the middle of the 2nd quarter.

The first quarter started out as planned.  Nate concentrated on offense and backed off on defense to eliminate fouls.  The remaining four players picked up their intensity on defense to protect Nate.  Nate ended up scoring 10 points in the quarter as only Nate can and Mitch made a great shot from just inside the 3 point line.  We had a 12-8 lead when everything changed.  Lake Park made a last second basket that was more luck than skill and the quarter ended with the Falcons up 12-10.

The second quarter was tight but the coaches felt we were controlling the game.  Mitch and Trey spent more than half the quarter on the bench.  Matthew and Ryan gave us some true quality minutes when they were asked to step in.  Both of them boxed out much larger opponets and drew fouls while being knocked to the floor.  Both of them blocked shots and created steals.  We ended up scoring 8 points in the quarter and Nate scored all 8.  Believe it or not, we were controlling the boards and Lake Park had picked up 5 or 6 over the-back fouls.  We had a 20-16 lead with one second left when a Lake Park guard threw up a wild three pointer that banked in.  They had now scored 5 points on last second shots.

Coach told the players at half time Lake Park could not continue to shoot that well and their shots would start to miss.  I believe that was the only thing he was wrong about all night.  They came out smoking in the 3rd quarter and knocked down almost everything they shot, including 2 three pointers.   Mitch and Trey picked up another foul and Caleb Farmer picked up two fouls.  We scored 8 points and once again Nate scored all 8 but still had not committed a foul.  We were trailing 30-28 with one second left when Lake Park put in another prayer and we were suddenly down 32-28.  They had now scored 7 points on last second shots.

Coach told the players we had been down before and not to panic.  We quickly fell behind by six.  Nate tried to do a little too much and the rest of the team looked a little out if sync.  Coach called time out and told Nate to trust the other players.  Nate switched modes and became a defensive monster.  He blocked three shots one time down the floor and forced Lake Park to stay out of the paint.  In the meantime, Mitch put back an offensive rebound and Josh added two baskets.  Caleb Farmer picked up five assists in the quarter and took a charge from a guy that out weighed him by 100 pounds.  Caleb is not very tall but plays big.  Lake park hit another three and matched us basket for basket.  We were still down by six with three minutes to go.  Trey Barnes time. 

Earlier in the game Trey had put up the two worst three point shots I have ever seen in a basketball game.  Now was cruch time and Trey came through.  His first three pointer pulled us to within three and the crowd erupted.  His second three pointer tied the game and you could feel the building shake.  Momentum had changed.  Lake Park wasn’t done.  Their big guy was fouled with one minute left in the game and made two line drive free throws.  (no arc, unbelievable).  We got the ball over half court and passed to Josh to the right of the lane.  Josh hit his biggest shot of the season to tie the game with 47 seconds left.  Our defense held and Nate was fouled.  When Nate stepped to the line I looked at the faces of the Lake Park players.  They were dejected and their shoulders were slumped.  They had already accepted defeat and for the first time that night, I knew we would win.  Of course Nate made it interesting by having his first shot bounce around the rim.  Nate would make two more free throws, his only points of the fourth quarter and there would be no more last second shots that banked in.  Coach and I looked at each other, and I said: “can we breathe yet?”   When I got home, I tried to give my wife the short version of the game but it took two hours. 

Team Stats:  Nate Johnson scored 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 5 blocked shots, and 1 assist.  Trey Barnes scored 8 points with two huge 3 pointers and 3 rebounds.  Josh Black scored 6 points including the game tying shot with 47 seconds left, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot.  Mitch moore scored 4 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, had 3 steals, and 2 assists.  Caleb Farmer did not score but had 6 assists and 1 rebound.  Caleb also controlled the game on offense.  Matthew Pedemonte and Ryan Brown both had 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot, and 1 assist.  Both of these players provided quality minutes.   Alan Fox, Daniel Zangmeister, Joel VanDusen, and Caleb Robinson did not get as much playing time as the other players and that can happen in a tournament.  Their contribution however did not go unnoticed.  They practiced hard all week and cheered their teammates on from the bench.  Their time will come. 

TOURNAMENT TIME

Boys Basketball Practice – Monday, February 25

This was our last Monday practice for the season and also team picture day.  This was a typical Monday where our attention was not always what it should be.  The free throw shooting was terrible and the players were not only on different pages but seemed to be reading different books.  The team huddle centered around thoughts and impressions of our first season and growing into men that are worthy of respect.  Coach challenged the players to finish practice strong.  The players responded and the last 30 minutes proved to be a marked improvement.  Several of the girls basketball team remained on the sidelines as the boys ran their conditioning sprints.  They cheered the boys on with each set and it appeared to energize them as they ran.  The boys had a chance to shoot their way out of the last set and missed (3 times) to the groans of the players and the girls.   The girls cheered even louder as the boys ran their last set.  Sometimes girls can be really cool.  Thank you girls for the energy boost.  I cannot think of a better way to go into our first ever tournament game.    

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Both the Boys & Girls Basketball teams will be in action this Tuesday in a three day tournament being held at Shield of Faith Christian Academy in Rock Hill (Tues, Thur, Fri).

3:00pm — Arborbrook Lady Falcons vs. Shield of Faith
4:00pm — Arborbrook Falcons vs. Lake Park

The Lady Falcons will play again on Friday in either the championship game (3pm) or third place game (6pm).  The Boys team must win to in order to advance to the next round which will be played on Thursday at 3pm.  All games are being played at Shield of Faith Christian Academy.

Game summaries will be posted by Wednesday morning.