7th grade settles for second place

HIGHLIGHTS BELOW

The 7th grade took home 2nd place Sunday at St. Emydius. (Courtesy: Jamie)

The 7th grade boys could not overcome their own mistakes, and more importantly, their nerves, as they were beaten 36-26 in the championship Sunday at St. Emydius.

For the better part of the game, the energy and execution by the 7th graders was non-existent and their flat start put them in a hole early in the game.

Cornerstone, which had beaten the 7th graders by 15 points in their regular season, came out ready to play and took a 4-0 lead less than a minute into the game.

Thomas responded for the 7th graders with a 3 pointer, which got the boys on the scoreboard.

#32 on the other team was flawless in the 1st quarter, and did not miss a shot in the first seven minutes of the game. He was left open on the wing on a few occasions and put Cornerstone out to a 13-4 lead after one.

The 7th grade boys were forced to play catchup for the rest of the game, and they just did not have the skill level to match Cornerstone in the game.

In most games, the team's top scorers need to have good games, and unfortunately for St. Mary's, it didn't happen.

Raymond struggled for the second consecutive game and scored a modest six points.

Jason Ng, the hero from Friday night's playoff win, did not get on the scoresheet until late in the 3rd quarter. He, like the rest of the 7th graders, had plenty of open shots from outside and inside throughout the game, but the difference between the two teams was that the team in red could not make the baskets.

In a championship game, mistakes like giving the opponent second chance point, or turning the ball over need to be kept to a minimum. As the underdog, the 7th graders needed to play crisp basketball for 28 minutes, but they were unable to get that on Sunday.

There were some positives from the game as the post players all were able to get shots off when they needed. Garrick, Ryan, and The Twins, Joseph and Thomas all collected points in the final game of the year, but their awkward and sloppy fundamentals prohibited them from scoring on a consistent basis.

The 7th graders trailed 24-11 going into halftime, but came out flat again to start the third. They still trailed by 11 points, 30-19 heading into the fourth.

Garrick hit a jump shot, and Jason Ng followed that up with a 3 pointer, which had cut the Cornerstone lead to eight points at 34-26.

Then, the problem the 7th grade had all year came back to haunt them, and sealed the deal.

Off of a Cornerstone miss, Willard could not snatch a rebound that slipped right through his hands. A player from Cornerstone made the putback and with two minutes and change to go, it was once again a 10 point lead. The momentum that the 7th graders had was no more.

Despite the loss, it was still a really good season for the 7th graders and everything you could ask for besides a championship.

They moved up a division for the second straight year, and for the second straight year made the playoffs.

Beating St. Cecilia on their home floor was no easy task, but the 7th graders answered the bell, and just ran out of steam at the end.

Making the championship two out of three years is not bad at all, but the road back is only going to get tougher as they will likely move up another rung on the ladder into division five for their final season at St. Mary's.

GAME NOTES: Joseph hit a three in the 1st quarter and had a total of 5 points in the game, and his brother Thomas, scored 3 points. Garrick and ryan both had 2 points each. Miss Pendleton and Mr. Ryan were in attendance to watch the 7th grade championship...The Class of 2010 was out in full force as Derek, Brandon, Tommy, Kevin and Melinda all attended the game. Elliot, who was also there, is an assistant coach for the 7th grade...The 7th grade received their second 2nd place trophy of the school year as they also lost in the soccer championship game.