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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday Morning Quarterback - A Look Back
Monday Morning Quarterback
One who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight
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| Warriors vs Rockets this Friday, are you going? |
It's been a long while since I did some Monday Morning Quarterbacking, and I apologize to the five people who actually enjoy me blogging.
To be honest, I just haven't had the energy or motivation to really pontificate on the current state of events with St. Mary's Athletics, but right now I am feeling it at 2:41 a.m. here on Monday morning so I thought I would humor the masses.
So...we are going to take a look back at the Boys Basketball season, even though it ended about two weeks ago.
But better late than never.
Four out of six boys teams made the playoffs, not a bad ratio at all. Let's take a look at the stats from the last three years.
YEAR TEAMS THAT MADE PLAYOFFS TEAMS IN CHAMPIONSHIP
2011 6 2
2012 5 1
2013 4 3
We'll start with the two teams in 2012-2013 who did not make the post-season, first the class of 2013, the 8th grade class.
8th Grade
Now we've plowed this field many times and I hope not to ramble on too long about their shortcomings. But to sum it up, practice wins games, and this team did not practice hard enough, did not take it serious enough, and did not elevate their game to the next level when they needed to do it.
They were in division five for five years, and never were able to move up until their final year. And that's when it caught up to them.
The same problems, maturity level, team chemistry, playing for another, just never got to the point in needed to get to in order to be successful.
On the court, lob passes, the inability to box out, not taking care of the ball. Relevant in every single game.
Different coaches, different ways of trying to motivate, same result.
Not a division problem, because all but two games were winnable.
All-Star Sunday was dominated by the 8th graders, which really showcased their skill. But it just goes to show how hard it is to win at a higher level.
Hopefully, they'll take this as a learning experience, but it will always be, could've should've for the 8th grade boys.
4th Grade
Not in the right division. They drew the short end of the stick and played several teams they could not beat even if they played their best.
The biggest bright spot was the development of one of the Twins, Darren, who started handling the ball and contributing offensively.
With that being said, there still needs to be more of a consistent team effort from top to bottom.
But this team is young, and they will have time to grow.
Now onto the playoff teams:
Great year for this team of newcomers. Eric and Bill, both 5th graders got better as the season progressed. Eric even had a big game winning shot late in the year.
Eric Lei, Spencer and Adam all have game changer type potential.
One thing they need to work on is just playing more and getting the game experience and basketball instincts down.
Their playoff game was winnable, but they lost because they were inexperienced.
The talent is there.
6th Grade
This was a lost opportunity. After falling a point short last year, I felt this was going to happen. Driving to CYO Serramonte, I had a feeling that they were going to win it. But, they couldn't rebound, and couldn't make lay-ups.
The lack of boxing out and second, third, fourth chance points for OLV, will haunt this team the entire off-season.
OLV brought their A game to the championship, the 6th graders probably had their B game.
In the end, it just wasn't there.
It's hard to say the St. Mary's boys didn't want it, because they did. From top to bottom, they all wanted to win this game so badly.
One thing to chew on is that #24 played a near flawless game. The St. Mary's 6th graders needed something close to that but unfortunately didn't get it.
7th Grade DMA
Sometimes you get hot at the right time. That was the 7th grade DMA boys.
After an 0-4 start, six straight wins to take the title.
Is it easier to win a title in the lowest division? Absolutely.
But everything is relative.
In their skill and talent level, they rose to the occasion.
Now next year, they will face stiffer competition.
How will they respond? Will it be just a one year joy ride or could they sustain the momentum and get even better and make another run at it?
7th Grade
Beating St. Cecilia on their home court, fantastic. Biggest/most impressive playoff win I feel since the Red Team featuring Justin and Jeremy did it to Epiphany in 2010.
Jason Ng really improved this year as he and Raymond became a tandem.
The bad, is that sometimes the entire team is not on the same page. A lot of finger pointing, bickering -- that cannot happen.
If this team could learn how to get along just a tad better, they'd be stronger as a whole. But it seems like there are some players who just don't click with others, and that will need to change as they move up yet another division.
Two championship appearances in three years, not bad at all.
As for the title game. By no means should the blame be put on Raymond and Jason, but they are the team's top two scorers.
Cornerstone's top two players were ready from the get go, and it took Raymond and Jason both a while to get started. And when they did, it was a little too late.
Another way to combat Jason or Raymond having an off game. Have other players on the team step up when the team as a whole is struggling.
That didn't happen in the championship, and that was what cost them.
Ok, so there you have it folks...a MMQ in the books. Thanks for reading and participating.
Angels fly cause they take themselves lightly.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
8th grade wins ugly
In the standings it will show up as a win for the 8th grade girls in their season opener Saturday at the Bayview YMCA, but by no means was it a pretty game.
Both teams were plagued with the inability to take care of the ball, but the 8th grade girls did enough to pick up a 19-12 win.
Julia led the girls with a game high 8 points, but the score could've been a lot more lopsided had the girls converted on their lay-ups.
They held a 7-5 lead at halftime but managed to pull away in the second half.
With a full court press, they were able to generate turnovers and create some easy shots.
However, in the last few minutes of the game, the other team turned the tables back on the 8th graders pressing them full court, and it got really sloppy.
The girls had trouble taking care of the ball to say the least, and it will be something that they need to work on moving forward.
One of the team's strengths is that they are a feisty bunch that will scrap and claw for the ball. But a lot of that is because they lack the fundamentals and confidence with the ball in their hands, which leads to messy situations.
Five of the six girls in the lineup scored, which is a great sign for a team that is just starting to jell.
Vivian had a career high 4 points, while Melina and Amy both had a bucket each.
Cynthia had a very quiet 3 points in the win.
Both teams were plagued with the inability to take care of the ball, but the 8th grade girls did enough to pick up a 19-12 win.
Julia led the girls with a game high 8 points, but the score could've been a lot more lopsided had the girls converted on their lay-ups.
They held a 7-5 lead at halftime but managed to pull away in the second half.
With a full court press, they were able to generate turnovers and create some easy shots.
However, in the last few minutes of the game, the other team turned the tables back on the 8th graders pressing them full court, and it got really sloppy.
The girls had trouble taking care of the ball to say the least, and it will be something that they need to work on moving forward.
One of the team's strengths is that they are a feisty bunch that will scrap and claw for the ball. But a lot of that is because they lack the fundamentals and confidence with the ball in their hands, which leads to messy situations.
Five of the six girls in the lineup scored, which is a great sign for a team that is just starting to jell.
Vivian had a career high 4 points, while Melina and Amy both had a bucket each.
Cynthia had a very quiet 3 points in the win.
4th grade comeback falls short
This was a loss that could pay huge dividends for the 4th grade girls down the line.
They came out a bit flat and dug themselves a 10-1 hole in the first half before going on an 8-0 run the rest of the game.
But their comeback effort fell just short as they lost 10-9 to open the regular season.
Sofia had a fast break with less than a minute left, but could not get to the basket for a shot. Instead, Justina settled for a long jumper right at the 3 point line which never drew iron.
For the first time in their playing careers, they played catch up and almost erased a deficit.
Had it not been for a little jitters to start the game, it might've been a different story.
Only five players dressed for the 4th graders, so with no subs, the girls went the distance. They didn't look tired, in fact, they looked like the quicker team in the latter stages of the game. Unfortunately that go ahead bucket could not be found.
The other team was the more physical and bigger of the two teams, with the biggest player on the opposition most likely twice the size of Sara.
After the initial shock of going up against a team that was imposing in size, they settled down and began to play their game.
But the little ounce of fear and hesitation that the girls had in the early moments of the game proved to be the difference.
Down 10-5 to start the 4th quarter, back to back buckets by Veronica and Justina trimmed the lead to one with about three minutes to go.
The girls did not get any closer, so the girls chalked this one up as a learning experience.
Justina scored 4 points, while Sofia had 3 points.
They came out a bit flat and dug themselves a 10-1 hole in the first half before going on an 8-0 run the rest of the game.
But their comeback effort fell just short as they lost 10-9 to open the regular season.
Sofia had a fast break with less than a minute left, but could not get to the basket for a shot. Instead, Justina settled for a long jumper right at the 3 point line which never drew iron.
For the first time in their playing careers, they played catch up and almost erased a deficit.
Had it not been for a little jitters to start the game, it might've been a different story.
Only five players dressed for the 4th graders, so with no subs, the girls went the distance. They didn't look tired, in fact, they looked like the quicker team in the latter stages of the game. Unfortunately that go ahead bucket could not be found.
The other team was the more physical and bigger of the two teams, with the biggest player on the opposition most likely twice the size of Sara.
After the initial shock of going up against a team that was imposing in size, they settled down and began to play their game.
But the little ounce of fear and hesitation that the girls had in the early moments of the game proved to be the difference.
Down 10-5 to start the 4th quarter, back to back buckets by Veronica and Justina trimmed the lead to one with about three minutes to go.
The girls did not get any closer, so the girls chalked this one up as a learning experience.
Justina scored 4 points, while Sofia had 3 points.
7th grade holds lead, wins
The 7th grade girls did something they were unable to do twice in the CYO preseason tournament, hold a 4th quarter lead.
As a result of closing the game out, they picked up their first win of the season 24-18 at Cornerstone Friday night.
One knock on the girls for the last few seasons is their inability to make shots on offense, but the girls took a huge step in the right direction as they made some key buckets down the stretch and did enough from the free throw line to seal the deal in the final minutes.
Jamie had a game high 10 points, including a 3-pointer, while Victoria, Kelly and Serra all chipped in with 4 points.
Ivanna had the only other basket.
Kelly, who goes to school during the day at Cornerstone, will now have bragging rights come Monday morning.
As a result of closing the game out, they picked up their first win of the season 24-18 at Cornerstone Friday night.
One knock on the girls for the last few seasons is their inability to make shots on offense, but the girls took a huge step in the right direction as they made some key buckets down the stretch and did enough from the free throw line to seal the deal in the final minutes.
Jamie had a game high 10 points, including a 3-pointer, while Victoria, Kelly and Serra all chipped in with 4 points.
Ivanna had the only other basket.
Kelly, who goes to school during the day at Cornerstone, will now have bragging rights come Monday morning.
6th graders take opener
The 6th graders began their championship title defense with a convincing 29-13 win to start the season Friday night at Star of the Sea.
Kaela, the reigning Girls MVP, had a game high 20 points and Michaela added 9 points in the win.
The girls led 16-5 at halftime and really did a solid job defensively, creating a lot of points in transition.
There are only five teams in their division so only one team will miss the playoffs. Winning game number one already puts them in a good spot for the rest of the season.
Kaela, the reigning Girls MVP, had a game high 20 points and Michaela added 9 points in the win.
The girls led 16-5 at halftime and really did a solid job defensively, creating a lot of points in transition.
There are only five teams in their division so only one team will miss the playoffs. Winning game number one already puts them in a good spot for the rest of the season.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Friday Night Recap
The 7th grade girls won their first of the year in a tight 24-18 contest.
The 6th grade girls got 20 points from Kaela and 9 from Michaela, as they win their first game of the regular season 29-13.
Full recaps to come later tonight.
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