Fast facts
Opponent: Lake High School, Millbury OH
Enrollment (9-12): 521
Division/League: Suburban Lakes League
Team Nickname: Flyers
Scrimmage format: 10 minute quarters (regular clock in last minute) / Seven Quarters played
Setting the Table
With Winterim over, all the Hawks were back in town and had another week’s practice under their belts. It was time for the annual two day team scrimmage/overnight trip. Originally, MV was supposed to face Fredericktown in an away game, but the Freddies (yes, that’s their actual nickname) will play in the State football semifinals Saturday. After some last minute scrambling, the Lake Flyers agreed to come to the Valley for a scrimmage. Lake is part of the Suburban Lakes League and is one half of the soon-to-be-famous I-280 rivalry with Northwood.
1st Q – MV 11 – Lake 5
Starting five: Dave Brown, Rick Deichert, Jonathan Krueger, Dixon Stoddard, Jared Sturt
Yet again, an MV opponent started out pressing. Lake employed a zone press which MV adjusted to fairly quickly since both starting guards were in the lineup. About three possessions in, MV had this defense sorted out and was getting regular fast break chances.
Jared was dominant off the glass and the sight of another team coming down the floor and getting only one shot off was now becoming a trend.
MV got up 11-5 with a minute left and Coach Robinson had the team practice the ‘freeze ‘em out’ offense for the remainder of the quarter. With Dave Brown at the point and Rick a much improved ball handler, this could be the Hawks equivalent of the Victory/Kneel-down Formation in football.
2nd Q – Lake 9 – MV 6
Starting five – same as Q1
Another quick start by Maumee Valley off the press defense resulted in an early lead. As the season goes on and this young team continues to mature, it will become increasingly difficult to press MV, especially with Jared Sturt under the basket at the end of the break.
Coach R began substituting this quarter. Omar Hazimah, Parker Bayer and Julius Turner made their first appearances of the day at the 5:48 mark. Those three guys bring a wealth of raw athleticism to the lineup and would be a formidable group in a press defense.
With 1:00 to go AJ King and Thad Woodard saw their initial action of the day. Lake maintained the press and pulled ahead for the quarter win.
3rd Q – MV 18 – Lake 11
Starting five – same as Q1
Lake continued to press. That was not a good idea.
Lake got one steal in the initial opening possession, and that was about it. Maumee Valley got two fast break baskets and the Flyers backed off. On the second, Rick got the bucket and a free throw for an old fashioned three-pointer. Rick then came out after a time out and hit another three from beyond-the-arc.
Dixon took a charge by a driving Lake player under the basket and that was it for the Flyers. It was a gratifying moment for those who have been following Dixon’s play over the years as has been on the giving end of many offensive fouls over the years. His positioning under the basket for that play was a great illustration of a growing finesse and maturity in his game.
The starting five was on the court for the entire quarter and rolled to the win.
Note of apology – for the next two quarters the tryptophan must have taken over, as I failed to record final scores. I’ll try harder next time, but I plead guilty of reporting under the influence of turkey.
4th Quarter – Lake won; score unknown
Starting five – Daniel, Parker, Omar, AJ and Thad
Coaches often times want to work on specific things during scrimmages. It looked like the goal in this quarter was for this group particular to learn the press break.
During the course of any season, there will be critical times when each of these players will be on the court facing a pressure defense. This scrimmage was an opportunity for learning by doing.
5th Quarter – MV won - Score unknown
Starting five – Dave, Rick, Jonathan, Julius, Jared
The Blue and White started this quarter in match-up zone with some half court trapping which forced the Flyers to call time out early on and switch their offense.
Julius had his best overall quarter of the season, playing well in all aspects of the game. He has begun to achieve a better grasp of the system and that inspired confidence, allowing him to look much more relaxed out on the court.
MV won this quarter fairly handily.
6th Quarter- Lake 17 – MV 9
Starting five – Thad, Daniel, Rick, Dave Julius
Similar to Julius’ last quarter, this was Thad’s best frame of the pre-season. In a replay of last year’s TAAC 8th grade Championship game, Thad’s court vision began to reveal itself. He had two crisp entry passes for easy baskets underneath.
Rick also continued to show court leadership. During the quarter, Coach Robinson Jr. challenged Rick to make the defensive calls and remind his teammates about their man assignments. With a starting five of four juniors and one sophomore, confident leadership is a must for a successful season.
7th Quarter – MV 16 – Lake 14
Starting five – Rick, Dave, Jared, Jonathan, Dixon
This quarter was not as close as the score indicated. Rick started the scoring with two three-pointers and the Blue and White didn’t look back.
The winning moment came with 58.2 seconds left, the Hawks up 14-8 and Jared at the line for a 1-and-1 chance. Omar grabbed an offensive rebound off the miss and made the putback. Two three pointers for the Flyers came too late.
Summary
With a week to go until the season opener, this was a good test for MV against a physical D-III team. Throughout the pre-season teams have rolled out their press against the Hawks, generally to no avail. The team has showed the ability to beat pressure defense and put the opposing team back on its heels. This bodes well for the first few games as both Fayette and TC love to press. While OH may not do the same, it’s probably a safe bet that Central will try a little full court defense at the Huntington Center as well. This has been a valuable pre-season so far. Let the learning continue…
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