Central loss Monday - a little perspective

TCC turned around and beat the Division 1 Sylvania Northview Wildcats from the NLL 80-45 on Northview's home court Tuesday night.

Hey, wait!  Wildcats? Time for a reappearance of my favorite, stupid humor.



It was pointed out to me that aside from the disasterous second quarter, MV lost the first, third and fourth quarters by 5, 6 and 4 points respectively.  I'd guess that the varsity could look back and figure out how they could have made up those deficits.

Scrimmage recap - Tuesday 11.16.10 - home vs. Start HS - Oh Canada

Fast facts

Opponent:  Roy C. Start HS (named for a former Toledo mayor)

Enrollment (9-12):  1600

Division/League: D-I / Toledo City League

Team Nickname: Spartans (patterned after Michigan State, their colors are Green and White and their fight song melody is Falcone Fight)

Scrimmage format: 10 minute running quarters (regular clock in last minute) / Eight Quarters played.

Setting the table

This was the first game in the newly repainted Varsity Gym.  Thanks to the MV Boosters for arranging this project - newly bright and white walls with great big spankin' new Hawk logo on the wall to boot.

Five Hawks were out on a great Winterim trip to Canada - Omar Hazimah, Daniel Brandon, Dave Brown, AJ King and Thad Woodard.  So the Hawks suited up with eight vs. Start's full compliment of 13.  Hurry back, eh guys?  Hopefully everyone will clear Customs back into the US this coming Friday.

And what is Winterim, you ask?  From the www.mvcds.org website - A distinctive feature of the Upper School is our Winterim program. Winterim enhances students' learning with an intensive, focused experience (Ed. – Winterim runs from November 1 through Thanksgiving). Students select from offerings that include classes at Maumee Valley, educational trips, study at other schools through The Network of Complimentary Schools, and independent study projects both within and outside of the Toledo area. At the end of their fourth year, Maumee Valley graduates have enjoyed a broad range of experiences and are well prepared to pursue their education at the next level. Click here for current and past Winterim offerings.

First Q – MV 12 – Start 12
Starting five: Rick Deichert, Jared Sturt, Nick Frasco, Jonathan Krueger, Dixon Stoddard (Hey, wait – throw in Parker and there's your 2007 TAAC 7^th Grade Champ rotation!)

Start opened in a full court press.  Rick and Nick received a baptism of fire sharing play at the point.  Aggressive defense by the Spartans did not deter the Hawks from running their offense and provided several opportunities for fast break points and backdoor cuts for easy baskets.  Start was equal to the task and the teams played to a draw.

One early theme of the game was Jared’s strong play underneath.  Start had more one-and-done’s than MV. Start had the last chance but couldn't convert.

Second Q – Start 19 – MV 8

Starting five: I dunno, sorry.

Oopsie!  Start switched to a half court trapping defense which gave the Hawks fits.  Many turnovers ensued, and Sparty rolled to a big lead.

Play was rough; Dixon, Rick and Nick were on the receiving end of some pushing, scratching and shoving. To be fair I saw our guys on the giving end as well.  Nothing egregious, just good old-fashioned City League basketball.  Good training for the coming season.  After a full season playing in the Central Catholic summer league against top flight competition, the days of intimidating MV are over.  This quarter served as a good refresher course in physical play.

In the end, MV broke down too many times and let the Spartans run away with the quarter.

Third Q – Start 10 – MV 8

Starting five: Nick, Parker Bayer, Dixon, Julius Turner and Solomon Collins

Start came off its pressure defense into straight man-to-man.  Solomon opened strong with two baskets, and Julius had some quality minutes learning the offensive system, passing up a few scoring chances to find open teammates.   A close finish with better things to come.

Fourth Q – MV 15 – Start 12

Starting five: Rick, Nick, Jared, Dixon and Jonathan

Rick opened scoring with a trey.  Jared continued his dominance under the boards and the Hawks grabbed the lead.  MV had the Spartan press figured out and began to get the ball underneath for several easy baskets.  The quarter was sealed with 28.6 seconds to go on a beautiful inbounds play to Jared for the final go-ahead score.

During the fourth quarter, the JV team finished practice and came in to watch the rest of the scrimmage.  They were treated to a quality finish by the varsity in this quarter.

Fifth Q – MV 12 – Start 12

Starting this quarter – Parker, Solomon, Jared, Rick and Julius

With only eight starters, MV played most of the night in zone.  Start had great difficulty getting quality shots during the quarter due to great match-up defense up top. 

MV continued its success beating the Spartans' pressure defense with several finishes by Freshman Soloman Collins, leading to the quote of the early season.  During a time out, Start’s coach called on his team to continue its half court double teaming.  One of the players responded ‘Coach every time we trap, they score’. 

The home team had the ball at the end but couldn’t get a shot off for the win.

Sixth Q -  MV 8 – Start 5

Starting this quarter – Rick, Nick, Jared, Dixon and Jonathan

Start got back to pressing and jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead.  The Blue and White clawed their way back in to the game with strong play from Jonathan, who burned the net twice in the 10-15 foot range.  Jonathan is a decisive shooter, confidently planting and firing his mid-range jumper.  MV took the lead with 4:24 to play and held on for the win.

Seventh Q:  Start 22 – MV 7

Starting this quarter – Dixon, Solomon, Julius, Nick and Parker

The Hawks went to work on a few set offensive pieces this quarter featuring Julius and Nick working the middle of the lane.  Although Start shot well and ran away with the score, MV showed great teamwork on a fast break and looked remarkably fresh this late in the evening.  Parker Bayer played harassing defense at the top of the key.  PK has some of the team's quickest hands, a skill many opposing point guards have experienced to their detriment over the years.

Eighth Q:  MV 12 – Start 6

Starting this quarter -  7^th Grade TAAC champ five (see 1^st Q above)

As in the Gibsonburg scrimmage, the Hawks conditioning paid dividends at game’s end.  A still fresh Jared Sturt continued to dominate underneath.  Jared showed a talent for affecting the opponents’ shots without getting in foul trouble. 

Start’s offense was limited to three point shooting, thus providing MV with several fast break opportunities.  In one of the prettiest finishes of the evening, the Hawks flew out of the gate on a three-on-one break featuring a Rick to Jonathan to Nick finish under the basket.  It was BEAU-TEEE-FUL.

Summary

MV and Start split eight quarters 3 wins each and two ties.  Either team could have won the game in a regulation four quarter affair.  And all this with five teammates gone on a Winterim trip to Maple Leaf Land.   We will be even better when everyone clears Customs on Friday and the team is reunited.

Showing an ability to slug it out with a D-1 team for eight quarters is a milestone achievement for our Lads.  It's a huge advance to see a big school team try to press and not have any anxiety about breaking it - and this without ballhandler extraordinaire Dave Brown.

Next up – lots of practice and our next scrimmage against an undisclosed opponent at a secret undisclosed location.  No truth to the rumor that Dick Cheney is coaching the opposing team.

Scrimmage recap - Saturday 11.13.10 at Bowsher - A rude, but to-be-profitable awakening

Bowsher is a D-I school located on Detroit Avenue and Arlington Boulevard in the City of Toledo.  Their beautiful new facility opened in 2009 as part of Toledo Public Schools comprehensive rebuild of its infrastructure. Bowsher's enrollment is approximatly 1400 compared with MV's 180.

The Bulldogs have a chance to make a strong run at the Toledo City League title this year.  They return the top scorer from '09-'10 CL action and added several transfers from Libbey HS (which closed in '09 due to budget cuts) as well as from St. Francis.  The Hawks faced a 15 strong Big-Guy team on Saturday morning. 

If that wasn't enough, Coach Robinson asked his coaching counterpart if Bowsher could press MV most all day.  It's all about deferred gratification.

I'll not recount the quarter-by-quarter scores for this scrimmage, although MV nearly won three of the eight frames.  We're talking potential large-school state tournament-worthy competition.  The lessons learned today cannot be underestimated for their upcoming regular season benefit.

It took two quarters to adjust to Bowsher's speed and tenacious defense, but once there MV was able to run its offense, contend for rebounds and eventually do well against the press.  These among others constituted victories of the day.  After a day in this envionment, there won't be much of an intimidation factor facing the Hawks.

Overheard at the end of the scrimmage 'Boys, we may not look at these tapes tomorrow...'