AGONIZING WIN AT THE BUZZER

12/3/2024

Our Eagles claimed victory against the SGA Orcas with a jump shot by Dale from the free-throw line with just three seconds remaining, completing a comeback after a solid second half that followed a dreadful first half, during which our team played their worst minutes of the season.

With neither team in contention for the Final Four, pride and the honor of closing the group stage with a win were on the line. Instead of replicating the strong start from last week’s game against VMA, the Eagles began with very low intensity, allowing SGA to take control from the outset: a lack of defensive effort, conceding numerous offensive rebounds despite having a height advantage, and selfish offensive play, failing to implement any of the strategies for attacking the opposing zone defense.

Deficits of two, four, even seven points... our defense couldn’t contain SGA’s point guard or secure rebounds, and only Rex managed to score in offense. The substitutions of Eddie, Dale, and Alan stopped the bleeding on defense but didn’t bring flow to our offensive plays. The first half ended with our team trailing by four points and leaving a poor impression.

After the break, despite an early knee injury to Thomas, things began to shift: Tiger and Dale started grabbing rebounds on both ends of the court, and Jacob, Alan, Eddie, and Dale himself added points, easing the scoring burden on Rex. Fatigue began to take its toll on SGA, whose offense in the second half relied almost entirely on isolations for their point guard, who started to lose effectiveness around the rim.

The final minutes were chaotic, with both teams making errors due to nerves and intense defensive pressure: turnovers, loose balls, and fouls. Dale tied the game at 30-30 with a mid-range jumper with 43 seconds left. After a strong defensive stand by our Eagles (with Eddie, Jason, and Alan delivering an exceptional second-half performance), our team had one last possession. Following good ball movement around the perimeter, Tiger found Dale at the free-throw line, where he sank another mid-range shot to seal the 32-30 victory.

This marked our first win in the group stage and our second against a league team (2-2) this season. Next week, the team will play another friendly to close out 2024, aiming for another win to end the year on a high note.

GREAT GAME WITHOUT REWARD

11/29/2024

Our HS Boys played the best game of the season, but got short and ended losing in the last minutes against VMA. The game was highlighted in our schedule since the Sharks prevented us from reaching the final last year in a match that was decided in the last four seconds. Moreover, our Eagles needed the win to keep their chances to reach the Final Four opened.

Dale made his debut this season and his impact was immediate, scoring four points in the first quarter and being intimidating in defense, protecting the rim and grabbing rebounds. Rex and Tiger, as captains, set the intensity for everybody else and together with Thomas' direction from the point guard position, and Jacob scoring from beyond the three-point line, established the first advantages for the Eagles.

VMA featured the same 2-3 zone defense as the rest of the league, but our work paid off and the team was fluid in moving the ball, looking for the zone and generating shots. RDF managed advantages between three to seven points during the first half, but our team reached the break with Tiger and Dale with three fouls each, which ended being decisive at the end.

VMA put all the responsibility of its offense on the shoulders of two players, numbers 41 and 11, and little by little reduced the difference and closed the third quarter with a 18-18 tie on the scoreboard. It was then when our players showed lack of patience and missed four or five consecutive attacks due looking to score from outside quickly, what VMA took advantage of to take the lead at the beginning of the last quarter.

Rex and Dale scored in three consecutive attacks to put our Eagles only four points behind within a minute left, but a final three-pointer closed the game and gave the win to the visitors. A good performance that didn't have a reward, a bittersweet taste that should not overshadow the great game of our boys.

11/19/2024

Our Boys got the first win of the season at Merchiston after a great teamwork performance. Our players applied on the court everything that has been practiced in trainings during the last two weeks and, although it didn't work at all times, they were able to keep the structure and to stick to the game plan, showing a more professional identity on court.

Move the ball to attack a 2-3 Zone, that was the idea. Most of the teams are using this strategy in defense and our Eagles knew what they needed to do: passes outside to move their players before finding the gap to bring the ball inside, or before having space to find a good shooting position. Eddie made his debut as a starter and led the team as a point guard, circulating the ball from side to side and directing the orchestra. Another player to be highlighted is Michael, who moved well through the back line to open ways for our team to find Rex in the key.

Our defense was good during most of the game, with Alan and Thomas giving trouble to Merchiston's ball handlers and making difficult for them to play. Thomas, moreover, was our MVP of the game with 11 points and two buckets from behind the 3-point line. Tiger with rebounds on both sides of the court and with an important basket at the end, Stephen with another triple, Jason circulating the ball and helping in both attack and defense, and James with a couple of good intense minutes in defense, they all had vital adds to our win.

A whole team victory in which every player was important and helped the common goal, and a great boost of confidence and self-esteem before the big challenge we will face next week.

BAD OPENING

11/12/2024

Our HS Boys Basketball team made its debut in the league and started the competition with the wrong foot after a loss 29-15 at Sendelta. As usual when we visit SIA Campus, it was an ugly game in which the defenses dominated the attacks and the rim spitted out almost every mid and long distance shot, including free-throws that especially penalized our team (seven free-throws missed by the end).

We knew of the 2-3 zone defense that Sendelta was going to challenge us with and the team worked in the days before the game how to attack that zone, but despite of preparation and instructions by Coach Blanco, the team spent the first quarter doing completely the opposite of what was trained prior the game. "If we have a bad day in attack, defense will always keep us on the game", but our players were soft and lacked of intensity until mid of the second quarter, giving Sendelta an advantage that was impossible to close. Rex was the only Eagle that scored points in the first half and that says it all.

Second half started with more determination, energy and clarity in attack to attack the 2-3 zone, moving the ball at a higher speed and breaking through the zone with aggressive dribblings and penetrations. Intensity in defense raised, we stopped conceding second chances by closing the rebound and the Eagles didn't let Sendelta have easy baskets no more. Jacob was vital in both sides of the court, so Thomas and Alan were. Jason gave good minutes from the bench and Tiger joined Rex grabbing rebounds and working in attack. From a 12 points disadvantage, the team went to a 20-15 within three minutes left on the timer.

It was then when the locals scored the first three pointer of the game, at the buzzer of their long possession, and killed the game and our Eagles' hopes. The team didn't react well to that and the gap opened even more to the final 29-15 that, although a fair win for Sendelta, doesn't show the real distance between both teams.