With its sizable lead gradually dissipating, the Wright City boys basketball team began to fold on Tuesday. A tremendous start put the Wildcats in control early, but a dismal scoring drought that …
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Wright City Boys Lose to New Haven
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
With its sizable lead gradually dissipating, the Wright City boys basketball team began to fold on Tuesday.A tremendous start put the Wildcats in control early, but a dismal scoring drought that spanned 12 minutes during the second half sent them spiraling into the consolation bracket.New Haven used a patient halfcourt offense to escape with a 38-25 victory during opening round action of the Hermann Tournament.“We couldn’t get anything going offensively,” said Coach Ken Brown. “We’ve got to give credit to New Haven, because they are a really good defensive team. But we’ve got to do a better job of finishing when we’re open.”Still, Brown was happy with his team’s performance in the early moments, as Wright City jumped ahead 9-1 after both teams took nearly three minutes to score. But he was aware New Haven’s scoring slump would eventually end.“I was pleased with the first half, but I told the guys that (our lead) wasn’t going to last,” said Brown. “Eventually, they were going to start knocking down shots.”And they did, but the Wildcats were able to counter for a while. Junior Ty Davis, who finished with nine points, helped answer the Shamrocks’ intensity.Wright City was also able to control the boards and deny New Haven entry into the paint during the first two periods.But that changed after halftime, and Brown gives credit to Shamrocks Coach Ray Steinhoff for preparing his team to overcome a 17-16 Wright City lead.“They made the necessary adjustments,” said Brown. “They started to box out more, and the game started to change.”Wright City was forced to take contested shots, and the usual interior forces of Christian Thompson and Jensen were very limited.“New Haven did a great job of shutting down what we do best, which is pound the ball inside,” said Brown. “We couldn’t get anything going with our two main scorers, Ty or Christian.”Thompson mustered six points, but found himself on the losing end of frustrating rebounding scrambles in the second half. Brown says his team also began to turn the ball over, going from the aggressor to playing timid and out of control once New Haven took the lead.“Once the turnovers started to escalate, we started to force the issue,” said Brown. “We were trying to dribble between two people and caused ourselves turnovers. It seemed like we were scared to run our offense.”Ahead 27-20 after three quarters, New Haven methodically pulled away, milking the clock on each possession to avoid a transition contest.“In the long run, this is good game for us,” said Brown, whose team will take on No. 7 seed Owensville on Thursday.The Wildcats defeated the Dutchmen at home earlier in the month.
The Wright City boys basketball lost to New Haven in the first round of the Hermann Tournament.
