How Will We Finish?
This is a question without an answer at this point, but if today was any indication of how we will respond to adversity then I'd say WE REFUSE to give up. Coming out of half-time against Concordia JV, OUR TEAM surrendered a 10-0 run to put us 14 down. Eventually the lead would even slip to 16 points in the second half until WE finally stopped playing gimmicks and just said "full court man to man" with 10 minutes to go. WE rotated guards in to sustain pressure, as a TEAM we rebounded the ball aggressively, and guy after guy came up with big plays. When it was all said and done, OUR JACKS won the game with a final score of 85-81 against a very sound Concordia team.
Yesterday's loss was a tough pill to swallow because earlier in the year we had defeated Jamestown JV. Today did not look like the outcome was going to be positive midway through the second half, and to be honest I was not sure what our guys had left. Third game in four days with a conference game tomorrow as well. The mood was just right to roll over and allow Concordia JV to finish what they had started in the second half... Then it happened... Tyler Storseth began to knock down deep 3's giving our TEAM excitement, Marquis Thomas grabbed rebound put backs, Billy Engel nailed key jump shots, Kristoff Walker penetrated and distributed the ball to Roybell Baez, Ben Veith, and DaShamone McCarty.
With :50 seconds to play the defense came up with a big stop as the game was tied 81-81, from there WE would call timeout and decide what way to go with a crucial possession. The ball was given to Walker, Thomas set a great screen, and Walker delivered with a game winning lay-up as he was fouled along the way give US a 3-point lead. Although Walker sealed the deal this was a collaborative effort as once again all players clocked in 10 plus minutes, and nobody played 30 or more minutes. Credit goes out to our guys desire to not allow a bad situation to dictate their attitudes and efforts.
Statistical Highlights:
Kristoff Walker - 24 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, game-winning basket
"Did a good job of being aggressive on both ends, distributed the ball on key plays, and kept the pressure up on ball handlers".
Tyler Storseth - 17 points, 4/4 from 3FG
"Truly changed the game with clutch shooting. Whenever Tyler plays well we seem to play with more energy and enthusiasm".
Billy Engel - 11 points, 3 assists
"Has been faced with a tough stretch recently, but Billy is a competitor. He has played the most minutes this year and it was good to see Billy gain confidence again today".
Just as today was our biggest game of the year. Tomorrow is another big test because UTTC will be our 1st opponent to open up regional play. We tip at 8pm in Bismarck.
Let's Get Jacked UP,
Coach Fehringer
