The boys varsity basketball team lost to the Maryland Grace Brethren Christian Eagles 57-29 during an out-of-state matchup on Friday, Jan. 12, in the Schluntz Gymnasium.
The Eagles opened the scoring with a layup on a fast break after recovering a defensive rebound. Junior and forward Alan Shi made his presence felt as he rebounded ball after ball. However, the Warriors struggled to take advantage of their extra possessions.
The Warriors’ first point of the night came from a free throw as Shi was fouled while going for a layup. The Eagles responded by drilling two 3-pointers and going on a 16-0 run over the next five minutes.
Head coach Johnny Williams said the team needs to improve on defense.
“We need to work on defense, play harder and play with more intensity,” Williams said.
As the Eagles went for a layup on a turnover, Shi blocked it, riling up the crowd. Seconds later, senior and forward Chris Sillice further ignited the crowd as he blocked another Eagles shot and flipped a quick pass to Shi, who made a 2-point jump shot. Shi closed out the quarter, burying a 3-pointer with five seconds left in the quarter, bringing the score to 18-6.
The Eagles started the scoring in the second quarter. The Warriors responded with a jump shot from the paint and a long 3-pointer by Shi, leaving the Eagles still in the lead and the score at 20-11.
Fouls proved to be an issue for both teams. With the score at 26-13, junior and guard Andrew Bacon drew a pair of fouls and made one free throw. Sillice also had several steals in the second quarter, but the Warriors had trouble taking advantage of them.
Turnovers plagued the Warriors throughout the second quarter and the rest of the game. The Eagles continued to run a tight defense, forcing multiple turnovers, but unlike the Warriors, they translated those turnovers into points. The first half ended with the Eagles in the lead 28-14.
The second half began with the Eagles going on a 10-2 scoring run. The Eagles’ defense picked up steam, holding the Warriors to four points in the third quarter.
With one minute left in the third quarter, the Warriors called a timeout. Following that, they connected on a play, passing the ball along the three-point line to wide open junior and guard Seth Thompson, who had moved to the paint and easily made a jump shot. The quarter ended with an and-one layup from the Eagles and the score at 45-18.
The Warriors started the scoring in the fourth quarter, with junior and guard Barry Golden scoring on a jelly layup and a 3-pointer. The Eagles then shut down any hopes for the Warriors to make a comeback, scoring back-to-back and rebounding the ball any chance they got.
During the last remaining seconds, juniors and guards Zachary Fung and Claudio Oster made back-to-back layups. When the Eagles recovered the ball, they dribbled out the final seconds and left the final score at 57-29.
Bacon said although there were good moments in the game, the team knew they needed to work harder.
“I thought we had glimpses of good basketball. When we came together at the end of the game, we knew our chemistry was off, so I think we just need to come together as a team and find the chemistry together and work on it,” Bacon said.
According to Williams, although the outcome was not what the Warriors wanted, there are things to look forward to.
“I’m looking forward to [the team] playing harder [and] turning the corner. They can do it, I see it in their eyes,” Williams said. “Once the consistency happens, we are going to be a scary team.”
