Bobcats pull away
from Portagers
By DYLAN SAVELA
Manistee News Advocate Sports Writer
Published:
Saturday, January 22, 2011
BRETHREN — There wasn’t a point
put up that wasn’t fought for Friday night, and Brethren coach
Travis Walker expected as much.
“We knew that going in. It’s a county rival,” he said after the
Bobcats won their seventh straight game, 60-41, against West
Michigan D League foe Onekama. “We knew it was going to be a
dogfight and it was for three quarters.”
The teams split 42 fouls down the middle, while two Portagers fouled
out to Brethren’s one.
Both defenses were swarming, but ultimately the Bobcats (8-2, 6-2
WMD) converted in transition and on second chance points when they
needed to. And they used a 22-12 run in the fourth quarter to pull
away. "I think our pressure finally got to them," Walker said. "And
foul trouble too. They had a couple bigs foul out, and that allowed
us to get some rebounds and some putbacks inside.
“Our offense wasn’t bad tonight,
but it certainly wasn’t cooking the way it has been. Our defense got us
our easy buckets tonight.”
Baskets were spread relatively evenly through the Bobcat lineup.
Brethren’s Roddy MacNeil and J.R. Theodore each scored 13 while Jack
Pickett scored 10. Nathan Hobart scored eight for the Bobcats while
Dylan Richardson had six, John Cullar four, Eddie Lodin three, Nathan
Costello two and David Conrad one.
MacNeil also had a game-high 16 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive
end and Hobart had 11 boards to his name.
Before Brethren jumped out to a lead they could control, however, the
Portagers nipped at its heels.
After starting out 11-3 in the first, Brethren watched Onekama make an
8-4 run to close the quarter.
The Bobcats struggled in their
offensive sets in the second and Onekama (1-7, 1-6 WMD) cut the deficit
to three points at 24-21 by halftime. |
“(Onekama coach) Jim (Hunter) is
doing a great job with them. They’re doing good things in the defensive
end,” Walker said. “We didn’t get very many good looks in that first
half. It was because of their defense.
“We had 14 turnovers (by halftime), and again, it was from their
pressure. They were getting into the passing lanes, making us move the
ball and converting easy buckets on the other end.”
However, missed opportunities on those same easy buckets bit the
Portagers in the second half.
“It came down to turnovers and the inability to make the puppies and the
put backs,” Hunter said of the loss.” Sometimes you’re going to shoot
well from the perimeter, some nights you’re not. That’s going to happen.
But the thing that’s got to be consistent, like at 80 percent or better,
are the layups that are lightly contested or not contested at all. We’ve got to finish those,” he added. “The other points come too hard
when we don’t.”
Onekama was led on the night by junior Adrian Norman with a game-high 20
points, while Ryan Pienta scored nine, Skyler Kimpel had six, and Alex
Welch and Jared Miller scored three apiece.
Brethren slowly built its lead to nine by the end of three, which was
sparked by holding Onekama to just eight points in the frame.
“They didn’t rip away from us tonight,” Hunter said. “They didn’t get a
big lead in a minute or two, it was a bucket here a bucket there. We’d
make some stops and get some great opportunities to score, but just
couldn’t convert.
“The kids worked hard though,” he added. “I told them that the first
half, I told them that after the game. I don’t fault my guys on effort.
They’re playing hard.” |
