Future Knights learning the game of hoops on the fly in junior high
How does a basketball team lose by 20 early in the year, then turn around and win by three at home against that same opponent?
How does a huge underdog stay within four points for most of the first half, only to get pounded into oblivion in the second half?
Welcome to the world of junior high basketball, where scores matter, but then again, they don’t, and one night may look incredibly unlike the previous effort.
West Holmes’ seventh-grade boys (10-4) had been pummeled by Madison earlier this season in Mansfield 46-26, but some home cooking on Jan. 25 found them on the positive side of a thrilling 48-45 win that saw the Rams’ Tyrell Ajian score an amazing 35 points. Even so, the one-man show wasn’t enough to overcome a balanced Knights attack that saw Trenton Bridenthal score 15, Brandon DeHass knock down 14, Josh Goudy added eight and Conner Roach hit two huge free throws with the game on the line. In the game, West Holmes jumped out to an early lead, fell behind 27-19 at the half, then battled back, Bridenthal hitting two big three-pointers, Blaine Hager giving the Knights the lead back at 36-35 early in the fourth quarter.
Ajian put the Rams back up 42-40, but Goudy scored inside with 2:20 to play to knot it again. Bridenthal hit yet another big triple, and with Garett Ervin crawling all over Ajian, in the game for Hager, who had fouled out, West Holmes clung to a one point win, when Roach went to the line with 20 seconds to play. Roach calmly canned both free throws to give West Holmes a three-point edge, but it wasn’t until Ajian, who had done everything else all night, had his shot from past half court glance off the rim.
“I think some of the difference is that the first time through we had to travel about an hour to their place, play in a weird, unfamiliar gym, in a place they just aren’t familiar with,” said coach Ron Hay. “This is new to these kids at this point.”
And even though he hit for 35 points, Hay said that the Knights did a solid job of containing the ultra-athletic Ajian when it mattered the most late in the game.
He gave much of the credit to Ervin, who came in for Hager late, then glued himself to Ajian.
“He played awesome,” said Hay of Ervin. “I took the full minute to put Garrett in, and I just kept telling him during that time that (Ajian) was his responsibility, and that his eyes should be on nothing but stopping him.
“He is learning a lot. They all are.”
In the eighth-grade game, Ben Ogi’s struggling team went up against a monstrous Rams team as a huge underdog. The Knights hung tough, but faltered late in the second, then saw Madison go to work in the second half in pulling away easily.
But wins and losses aside, Ogi said that while winning is much more fun than losing, the more important thing is that they teach the kids the game the right way, focus on fundamentals and help them mature as players, players who can make a positive impact at the varsity level some day.
“The main thing is to get better as a team and as individuals, so when they get to the high school level, they know the game and know what to expect,” said Ogi. “As for fundamentals, we can never work enough on them. That is really what this is about. Fortunately, on all of my years of coaching at this level, I have always had parents who understand the process of trying to improve the kids first.”
Hay agreed with that assessment, noting that while they work diligently on fundamentals, free throws and the art of playing the game fundamentally correct rather than focusing on implementing tons of plays, they never have enough time.
“We spend our practices dribbling, doing box out drills, shooting free throws, defensive help drills... at this level, we have gotten better, but so does every other team at this level. You see little increments of improvement, but when kids want to get better, they need to do it during the off-season. They’ve got to work on the fundamentals we try to instill in them, and to better understand the game.
“We’ve seen improvements from day one, but the big difference is that work in the off-season.
How does a huge underdog stay within four points for most of the first half, only to get pounded into oblivion in the second half?
Welcome to the world of junior high basketball, where scores matter, but then again, they don’t, and one night may look incredibly unlike the previous effort.
West Holmes’ seventh-grade boys (10-4) had been pummeled by Madison earlier this season in Mansfield 46-26, but some home cooking on Jan. 25 found them on the positive side of a thrilling 48-45 win that saw the Rams’ Tyrell Ajian score an amazing 35 points. Even so, the one-man show wasn’t enough to overcome a balanced Knights attack that saw Trenton Bridenthal score 15, Brandon DeHass knock down 14, Josh Goudy added eight and Conner Roach hit two huge free throws with the game on the line. In the game, West Holmes jumped out to an early lead, fell behind 27-19 at the half, then battled back, Bridenthal hitting two big three-pointers, Blaine Hager giving the Knights the lead back at 36-35 early in the fourth quarter.
Ajian put the Rams back up 42-40, but Goudy scored inside with 2:20 to play to knot it again. Bridenthal hit yet another big triple, and with Garett Ervin crawling all over Ajian, in the game for Hager, who had fouled out, West Holmes clung to a one point win, when Roach went to the line with 20 seconds to play. Roach calmly canned both free throws to give West Holmes a three-point edge, but it wasn’t until Ajian, who had done everything else all night, had his shot from past half court glance off the rim.
“I think some of the difference is that the first time through we had to travel about an hour to their place, play in a weird, unfamiliar gym, in a place they just aren’t familiar with,” said coach Ron Hay. “This is new to these kids at this point.”
And even though he hit for 35 points, Hay said that the Knights did a solid job of containing the ultra-athletic Ajian when it mattered the most late in the game.
He gave much of the credit to Ervin, who came in for Hager late, then glued himself to Ajian.
“He played awesome,” said Hay of Ervin. “I took the full minute to put Garrett in, and I just kept telling him during that time that (Ajian) was his responsibility, and that his eyes should be on nothing but stopping him.
“He is learning a lot. They all are.”
In the eighth-grade game, Ben Ogi’s struggling team went up against a monstrous Rams team as a huge underdog. The Knights hung tough, but faltered late in the second, then saw Madison go to work in the second half in pulling away easily.
But wins and losses aside, Ogi said that while winning is much more fun than losing, the more important thing is that they teach the kids the game the right way, focus on fundamentals and help them mature as players, players who can make a positive impact at the varsity level some day.
“The main thing is to get better as a team and as individuals, so when they get to the high school level, they know the game and know what to expect,” said Ogi. “As for fundamentals, we can never work enough on them. That is really what this is about. Fortunately, on all of my years of coaching at this level, I have always had parents who understand the process of trying to improve the kids first.”
Hay agreed with that assessment, noting that while they work diligently on fundamentals, free throws and the art of playing the game fundamentally correct rather than focusing on implementing tons of plays, they never have enough time.
“We spend our practices dribbling, doing box out drills, shooting free throws, defensive help drills... at this level, we have gotten better, but so does every other team at this level. You see little increments of improvement, but when kids want to get better, they need to do it during the off-season. They’ve got to work on the fundamentals we try to instill in them, and to better understand the game.
“We’ve seen improvements from day one, but the big difference is that work in the off-season.
Published: January 25, 2012
