CLASS ACT

Arborbrook 39 – Lake Park 35

I’m not sure we know how to play a game that doesn’t go down to the wire but once again the Falcons came out on top in another nail biter.  First I would like to thank everyone that attended last nights game.  The Arborbrook fans took up more than half the seating in the gym and there were fans from both teams leaning against the wall or sitting on the floor.  We could not wear our regular uniforms  so the girls wore the  guys shirts which was pretty cool.  We also had our own cheering section which was also cool.  This was the first game in a brand new facility and the atmosphere was electric.  The crowd noise was extremely loud and the game itself was worthy of an inaugural event.

We did not match up well at all against Lake Park.  They were much larger in height and bulk as well as much older.  They also had warm up uniforms and looked pretty intimidating during the warm ups.  However, this game is not about warm ups and appearance but how you play the game.  Lake Park had a suffocating defense but no pure shooters.  Their game plan was to shoot the ball and crash the boards.  Nate Johnson always plays well but this was the best I have ever seen him play both on offense and defense.  Nate finished the game with 25 points but they did not come easy.  In fact, none of the points came easy for either team.

Coach told the team before the game that we wanted to make them remember Arborbrook forever.  We wanted to score the first two points ever in this building and also walk away with the first victory.  Our players were loose, excited, and ready to go.   The first quarter started with Lake Park winning the tip and Caleb Farmer stealing the ball from their point guard just as he crossed center court.  Both teams appeared a little nervous until Nate broke the ice and gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead.  Lake Park quickly tied the game until a 3 point basket by Trey Barnes gave us a lead that we would never lose.  The quarter ended with the Falcons on top 7-6.

Our defense continued to play great in the second quarter while Nate knocked down his own three pointer and Josh Black added a lay up.  Mitch Moore hit a shot from just inside the 3 point line and Caleb Farmer scored from  outside the lane to send us to the locker room withan 18-10 lead.

The third quarter started out rough.  Lake Park aggressively attacked the boards and increased the intensity of their already tight defense.  They were determined not to lose the first game in their new building.  Meanwhile, the Falcons went cold.  With 2 minutes left in the quarter our lead was now 19-18 and Nate was playing with 3 fouls.  Momentum has a way of shifting with one play.  Lake Forest looked like they were going to take the lead as one of their shots rolled all the way around the rim before dropping off.  We grabbed the rebound and quickly passed to Nate on the wing who drove to the basket.  Lake Park has a quick defense and was waiting for him but Nate put up the shot and was fouled.  The shot dropped and he made the free throw and suddenly we were back in control.  Nate made 6 free throws in the last 2 minutes of the quarter and some how we were still ahead 29-20 after almost losing the lead.

Basketball is all about the 4th quarter in a close game.  The game can be won or lost on a lucky bounce or a split second decision.  We had our first game time injury of the season when we lost Josh Black to a shoulder in the nose.  There was a lot of blood and it kind of freaked our team out for away until they found out Josh was okay.  Lake Park was having trouble cutting into the lead but Nate was also playing with 4 fouls.   Daniel Zangmeister scored a key basket late in the quarter and Mitch added another long shot.   The inevitable finally happened with a little more than 2 minutes left in the game.  Nate fouled out and we were missing 2 of our starting 5.  The lead was only eight with plenty of time left on the clock.  Lake Park put on a full court press but we held our own until the final 21 seconds of the game.  They stole the ball at half court and scored a quick basket to cut the lead to 3 with 4.5 seconds to go.  During the time out coach told the players to hold the ball when it was thrown in.  They had no time outs left and they would either have to tie us up or foul us.  Either one was acceptable since we had possession on the next jump ball.  The ball came into Caleb Farmer who was fouled.  Caleb proceeded to hit the biggest free throw of his young career and the game was out of reach.  The final score was 39-35.

Why class act as a title?  I was leaving the gym when the assistant coach from Lake Park stopped me.  He thanked us for making their first game in their new facility a great success.  He said: “you guys are a class act.”  I believe he was referring to the fans, the team, and the coaching staff.  I cannot think of a better compliment from an opposing team.  I cannot think of a better legacy for this particular team.

Stats:  Nate scored 25 points with 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  Mitch scored 4 points with 2 rebounds and 4 steals. Trey scored 3 points with 4 rebounds.  Caleb Farmer scored 3 points with 2 steals.  Josh scored 2 points with 1 rebound and 1 steal.  Daniel scored 2 points with 2 rebounds.  Joel VanDusen had 3 rebounds while Alan Fox added 2 rebounds and 2 assists.  All other players had at least one rebound.