What a difference a few days makes in the life of a basketball team. Our varsity Tigers found the shoe on the other foot today in our game with Rumsey. Depleted by the loss of Hudson Kuras to a broken finger; Adam Baker, participating in a choral event in Hartford, Ct. (Well done, Adam); Shriman Bala leaving school early on game day for what was later diagnosed as strep throat; and Roan Gideon to a skiing mishap, the remaining eight Tigers bravely traveled to Rumsey for our second meeting of the year.
The Rumsey coach excitedly welcomed me and the team to his home court and was genuinely sad to hear that we were missing three starters. We both were looking forward to this meeting because our first match-up was so competitive. It wasn’t to be on this day.
We prepared to make this a very defensive game by clogging up the middle and hopefully limiting the inside play of Rumsey’s dangerous big men. I chose Matthew Stapylton and Christian Ouellette to fill in for Adam and Shriman, while Austin Christensen took over for Hudson. Christian was a defensive standout, giving up an easy 60 pounds to the “twin towers” of Rumsey; Christian hustled the whole game and proved his defensive skills are quite valuable to our team. Matt continued to improve his defensive game, while also showing he can play tough under the offensive boards. He had several scoring opportunities but tended to wait a bit too long to “pull the trigger” giving the defense a chance to key on him and miss his shots. Matt has shown great desire and improvement this year and soon will become a consistent scorer. Jackson Ryan saw some valuable minutes and is learning his role much better at both ends of the court. Ben Poholchuk filled in at the number “2” spot and handled the ball with a great deal more confidence than in earlier games. He even drew a foul on a shot and made one of his two free throws. (How to go, Benjamin!) Austin and Cooper Davis saw action throughout the game and sparked a few fast breaks of their own. I am proud of how this team has matured and I am especially proud of how their basketball knowledge has improved and grown. A comment by the Rumsey coach to me after the game made me especially proud. He said that DDS was the smartest team they play without any doubt or reservation. Boy, is that a great compliment or what!
Captain Griffin Wilson did his very best to single-handedly win this game by dropping in 23 of our 24 points. His defense was superb as was his leadership at both ends of the court. I marvel at his boundless energy and imagine he sleeps well at night. Griffin is an amazing athlete, not to mention a fine young person. He is joy to coach and to just be around. He played every minute of the game without a single break and never gave up. That is the mark of a true competitor. If I were picking an all-star team, made up of all the kids I have ever coached over my 30+ years, Griffin would be right at the top of my list. He has all the qualities of an athlete and a gentleman that I hold in high regard.
Finally, this game would have been 100 – 24 instead of the final score of 50-24 if it wasn’t for the tenacious play of Danielle Stamer. Dani took on Rumsey’s (# 00 ), a large eighth grader who was a least six feet tall and 200 pounds. She pushed him, boxed him out, challenged him for every rebound on defense and then did the same thing at the offensive end of the court as she tried to score on this massive player. Dani has such a marvelous work ethic for such a young person. Quitting and giving up are not her vocabulary. No matter how big they are, or how good they are, Dani does not back down or give up one inch of her territory to anyone. Dani was and is our rock in the middle. She was tireless on the court and was an inspiration to our team. I watched as she directed the new players to their correct positions at the defensive end and was a true “floor general” throughout the entire game. Dani is one of the most disciplined, single-minded, determined young athletes I have ever coached. Even in defeat, her performance was superb. Her hustle and determination were contagious. I predict some great basketball in this wonderful young person’s future. Fantastic game, Danielle.
The loss makes our record now stand at 6-2 with 5 games to go. Hopefully some of our walking wounded will be ready to play next week and we will rebound from this temporary setback. This is one resilient team and I can easily predict that we will bounce right back on Tuesday when we take on the Millbrook JV girls team. This is a high school age team that hopefully will be a great game for our kids. Please come out and support our DDS Tigers. It is always great to see the parents at the games and the kids love having you there.
Please allow me to thank my wife, Eileen, for the chocolate-dipped Valentine cookies and pumpkin, chocolate chip muffins that she baked for the team. The kids really loved them. “Thanks so much Mrs. O.” was heard from all over the bus.
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