PG Polars Defence Comes Up Big

Rutland vs Prince George

December 9, 2023

Saturday morning's early game featured Rutland taking on the Prince George Polars in a battle of two teams that have made the long journey for this tournament. Both teams were looking for their first wins of the tournament as both were 0-2 coming into this one.

The early going was competitive with both teams showing intensity on the defensive end which really limited any offensive momentum. Despite coming in winless both teams were extremely engaged and their benches were continually and emphatically firing up their teams and congratulating them on every bucket, steal or block.

Rutland’s starting centre Chanveer Lalli (wearing the same number 13 as Quinn Keast wore) was at the forefront of their attack as he fought for space in the low post in hopes of backing into his smaller defender. On one occasion you could hear the Rutland bench yell “mouse in the house” referencing his much smaller defender and letting the team know about this clear mismatch.

Despite this small lead, the Polars’ Coach Luong seemed frustrated with his team as he waited 5 minutes to gather his thoughts prior to going into the changeroom with his team.

Half time: the PG Polars led 25-18.

The third quarter featured more of the same zone defence and long shot clock possessions as each team really struggled to get out on any fast breaks. “Behind the ball, behind the ball” is the key message from Rutland’s Coach Lindsay Robb as she urged structure and shape defensively in a zone block defensive structure. As the third quarter buzzer went the Polars had maintained their 7-point advantage in this low-scoring defensive battle setting up an exciting 4th.

Surprising to many, the Polars came out with a different approach as they adjusted to a high full-court press in hopes of forcing more turnovers. With this defence it's critical all players are on the same page and aware of when to press and who to double. It was effective as Rutland struggled to break through and find the open man. These turnovers led to fast break points which quickly added up and quickly turned a tight game into a 18 point advantage for the Polars.

Hats off to Rutland’s Coach Robb for continually staying calm and providing positive feedback to her team in hopes of sparking some offense.

Congratulations to both teams on a well-fought battle and to the Prince George Polars are their 54-39 victory.

Player of the game: Gage Cooke of the Prince George Polars

Leading scorer for Prince George: Jules Tersango with 12 points.

Rutland's Leading scorer: Oscar Sutherland 11 points.