Despite losing 65-64 to Avondale last Friday night, Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Stephan Henning says his Wildcats ‘still played extremely well.?
‘We came out and kind of put it to them early and were up 19 points by half-time, playing with a lot of confidence,? Henning said. ‘But in the second half, instead of playing like it’s 0-0, some of our players played more so to keep the score rather than keep scoring.?
‘It didn’t help that one of our best player Delxino Alexander got into foul trouble and Conner Elzerman didn’t play the fourth quarter because of a knee problem,? he continued. ‘We still had a chance to send the game into overtime, Mason Vires fouled with one second left shooting a three-pointer.?
After knocking down two free-throws, he unfortunately missed the third.
Mason Vires had scored 28 points on the night and Alexander finished with 12 points.
And though it’s not on the scorecard, Henning said sophomore Jordan Jadan had three turnover against a pressing team
‘While there was a costly one late in the game, three turnovers as a sophomore filling in for a point-guard who was dismissed from the team, he did a great job,? Henning said.
It’s been rough, losing the last seven of eight games and watching their record drop to 9-8, but Henning remains optimistic.
‘To the people who don’t really understand what’s going on or see it, they have to realize we’re in every game and their kids are getting better. It’s just the small things, boxing out, rebounding, turnovers in crucial situations and that decides the game,? he said.
‘When you lose that many games down the stretch, you can get some bad seeds out of nowhere, but these kids still enjoy being around each other. They still come practice (and are) willing to work hard, still listening to everything I have to say.?
Henning said they finish their regular season at home against Stoney Creek on Thursday before heading into district play.
The game starts at 7 p.m.
‘Stoney Creek has a lot of guards, a lot of shooters and once again, they beat us earlier in the season at their place with costly turnovers. I just want to see if we can correct our actions and compete,? Henning noted. ‘That’s all I’m looking for is just to get better.?