Handsworth Sr. Boys Push Past SMUS To Second Round In Front of Energetic Crowd
Handsworth Royals Sr. Boys vs St Michaels University School
Thurs Dec 12, 2:00pm @Handsworth Secondary School
(photo credit: Blair Shier)
The Handsworth Royals kicked off their tournament with another ‘Spirit Game’ against the visiting SMU Cougars from Victoria.
“Hes 6’4, 200lbs hey…” prior the tip you could hear Royals players gathering and commenting on SMU ‘s big forward. Rather than focus on their own structure and gameplan, it was clear there was concern over how they would handle such size. This is certainly not what any coach wants to hear from his team leading into a big game!
The gym was once again packed with hundreds of students, teachers and family for the big game which opened with a furious pace. To have a home game with this level of excitement this early in the season can be a great thing for either team in terms of building chemistry and momentum. The Royals of course were looking to build upon Crazy P and the home crowd, while the Cougars are simply looking to silence the crowd with their size and advantage in the paint.
The first half saw lots of back fourth battles with neither team able to build a consistent run of buckets. The Royal’s Grade 11 wing Miles Herbert was at the forefront of most possessions and he looked incredibly comfortable and calm for such a young man. It was clear his blend of size and athleticism was going to be a problem for any opposing team.
Both teams settled into a zone defense which made attacking the rim that much harder as it was only the mid range jumpers that were non-contested. The Cougar’s big man, Elliot Mairet, was never too far from the basket and was always lingering and using his height advantage for any offensive boards.
After a very tight first half the home Royals trailed the visiting Cougars 36-33.
The second half started with the Royal’s Ben Malfair pulling a rabbit out of hat with a magical no-look over-the-head ‘and 1’ bucket that had the defense simply bamboozled. Malfair followed this up with back-to-back long range jumpers that looked smoother than a fresh jar of skippy peanut butter! This swing of momentum brought the Royals their first lead of the game which was certainly noticed by the home energetic crowd.
Sadly for the Cougars, starting wing Davis Hardy exited the game with an apparent head injury and was forced to watch the remainder from the bench. We wish Davis a speedy recovery and hopefully he can rejoin his teammates soon! This injury certainly forced the Cougars into different lineups as Davis was a key piece of all offensive schemes.
With only 7 minutes remaining the Royals held a very thin 6 point lead and it was anyone's game still. Defences were tightening up and points were tough to come by for both teams. It was a couple of costly Cougar turnovers that gave the Royals 6 fast break points, really tilting the scoreline.
The final score was 81-66 Royals in terrific back and fourth game!
Congratulations to both teams on a highly entertaining opening match and all the best in your upcoming games!
Player of the game:
Royals Liam Hadrill, 32 points.