Boys Jv Basketball vs Thacher

We opened up hot hitting four 3s in the first quarter including three from sophomore Jack Ludviksen, but we lost a bit of momentum in the first quarter when we shifted defenses and lost focus on Thacher’s two solid shooters. The struggle continued a bit in the second quarter as we trailed Thacher and struggled to regain our composure. The effort and focus on the defensive end of the floor is really what got us back in control of the game. Senior Ethan Ha and Ludviksen with breaks from sophomore Matty Holmes locked up Thacher’s best players, and the team defense we were able to display stifled their efforts to get into the lane. In fact, most of their points came from the perimeter as every time they came toward the basket we had a couple of our players waiting to slow them down, and then they had to reckon with freshman Babacar Pouye who alters or blocks most every shot that gets lofted his way deep in the lane.

Also important was that everyone got some time last night. With 12-14 players, we are still working on substitution rotations that best advantage our team and get everyone more time on the court, but we really appreciate the boy’s interest in competing and supporting each other.

The third and fourth quarters were where we started to demonstrate how tough and composed we can be. Having said that, there are still lots of lessons for us about focusing at the line late in the game–we were 1-6 in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter–taking care of the ball, and avoiding simple mental mistakes. We did enough to get the win in the end, and we held onto the ball effectively and ran clock in the last 3 minutes.

Individual highlights include:

Jack Ludviksen–Senior Co-Captain Alex Kim noted during our post-game meeting that Jack deserves a lot of credit for working incredibly hard on the defensive end. He had at least 5 steals and deflected probably another 4-5 passes. He was a workhorse on both ends of the game, and his shooting early in the game got us going.

Freshman Jengus Ercil hit a three and picked up a couple of other baskets. He was solid on both ends of the court, and he did not turn the ball over. For a 9th grader to be one of the most composed players on the court for us speaks to the kind of player he’s going to be.

Sophomore Ethan Ligon led our attack all game. He got players the ball in good spots, and he plays incredibly unselfishly.

Matty Holmes stepped up and played a forward position last night. His understanding of how our offense works and where everyone is supposed to be is the reason why he can play many positions. He was a workhorse on both ends of the court.

Ethan Ha was his normal unselfish offensive player and full-throttle defender. He anchored our defense all night, and he rebounded very well.

Babacar Pouye came off the bench for the first time this season, and he handled the change effectively by ripping down a dozen rebounds, blocking 4 shots, and scoring a handful of baskets when we needed them.

Junior Daniel Panadero hit a beautiful fade away jump shot on the baseline when we needed a bucket.

It was a great team effort and very encouraging for the work ahead.

Thank you for the parents who made the trip to cheer us on, and thank you to Coach Andy and Coach Joe and the varsity team who were in the gym early to cheer us on.

We play Dunn on the road this Wednesday at 4:30.