Dolphins Don't Mind The Rain in Dover Bay's Win Over Charles Hays Rainmakers
Dover Bay Sr. Boys v. Charles Hays
Dec. 12, 2024
(photo credit: Ria Terins)
Charles Hays has made the trip to the North Shore looking to do something the North Shore is oh so familiar with - rain, more specifically, making it rain - since they are, of course, the Rainmakers. Dover Bay, making the trip across the Pacific Ocean from Vancouver Island, are very comfortable with rain and other forms of water, since they are the Dover Bay Dolphins.
Fun Fact: 9 of the 16 Boys teams have travelled either from Alberta, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan or northern B.C. Thanks Tay-Tay for opening up some hotel space!
The Dolphins have started this game in a 3/4-court zone D, putting the pressure on early and seeing how dialed the Rainmakers full-court break is early in the season. Dover Bay holds the height advantage, with at least an inch or two at each position. As Charles Hays gets comfortable with this pressure, look to see them try to counter that pressure in hopes of finding easy buckets. Dover Bay’s Twin towers, #10 Linder and #34 Trood, have been battling down low, earning themselves offensive boards and putback opportunities.
Early in this first quarter, the Dolphins are showing off their all-around game, getting them a quick 11 point lead 5 minutes into this first round match up. Charles Hays’ Lindor has been showing us a bit of everything - he’s a big man who is comfortable grinding it out under the basket with the big boys, but also very comfortable handling the ball both in transition and on the perimeter in their half court sets. Rainmakers will be looking for an answer from someone who can effectively defend him, which is a big ask. The Rainmakers end the quarter with a bang, with a big block on a last-second three turning into a layup on the other end with milliseconds left before the buzzer sounds.
End of the first quarter has the Dolphins up 27-13.
The boys are battling, with bodies all over the floor coming out of a loose ball kerfuffle. #5 for the Rainmakers, Bomben, is starting to establish his presence with a combination of knocking down the long ball, penetrating from the perimeter, and showing off a mid-range game. If there has been a weakness in the Dolphins thus far, it has been a few careless passes which have resulted in turnovers, and the opportunity for Charles Hays to turn that into fast break opportunities on the other end. The Rainmakers have clawed themselves back to within 12 after the most recent Dolphins run.
The Dolphins have the rarely seen a combo of brothers on the same team - with the grade 10 #11 Joe Linder and his older brother #10 Frank Linder. As the shorter, and younger brother, Joe feeds his brother in transition and watches big bro throw it down with some oomph - he awaits his next growth spurt so he too is playing above the rim. In the meantime, he’s not afraid to do some rainmaking himself - knocking down multiple three pointers with ease. Hey Joe, don’t forget to remind your brother that three pointers are worth more than dunks ;).
Fun ironic fact: No Regrets tournament teams of the past have had to deal with the Rainmakers’ McChesney brothers. What goes around…
As the clock ticked away to end the half, the crowd held its breath like they were underwater waiting to see if the half-court shot from the Rainmakers dropped - to the crowd's disappointment it bangs off the backboard and misses.
At the half, Dover Bay is up 51-27.
Halftime Fact #1: Dover Bay Dolphins have an early season 4A ranking as the #2 team in the province!
Halftime Fact #2: Joe and Frank Linder, whose dad Michael is an assistant coach, have 2 other brothers and what we all can only imagine (which is confirmed by Michael) as one angel-like sister…we can also imagine she’s her Dad’s favourite child (even if Michael won’t say it out loud).
As the second half begins, the Dolphins are picking up where they left off starting the second half on a 15-1 run. The Rainmakers have been in search of a counter to the Dolphins, and they are going to need a few more three point attempts to start dropping to keep the crowd in this game down the stretch. At the end of the third quarter, the Dolphins are up 75-35.
#0 for the Rainmakers, Caleb Tait, just gave the zig, the zag and the crossover leaving his defender in the dust as he completed the play with a tough finish with the hoop and the harm. By maintaining a solid lead through the half, the Dolphins have been able to get all of their team members a healthy amount of burn. This will be beneficial to rest some legs as they play 4 games over 3 days, and also getting some of the guys coming off the bench solid minutes will pay dividends as they will inevitably be called upon in big moments as the tourney progresses.
Dover Bay looks like a force to be reckoned with in the 2024 No Regrets Tourney. They have some of those ideal qualities you are looking for in a well-balanced team: multiple team members who can effectively score, hit the deep ball comfortably, tough on both ends of the court and strong execution.
Not the result Charles Hays was looking for in their first game of the tournament, but an incredible opportunity to put themselves up against one of the best teams in the province early in the season.
Final Score: Dover Bay: 90 - Charles Hays: 49.
No Regrets.