Boys Basketball News Game #2
Saints Lose Hard Fought Battle with Eagles
On Friday, Salem’s boys basketball team took on the Eagles of Bloomington Lutheran in our first home game of the season. Going into the game, our boys were excited for the opportunity to play against such a well-coached Bloomington basketball team. Throughout the entire week of practice, our young team embraced the idea of playing against a team that could compete on the high school level.
Although our boys were at a total size disadvantage, I was very pleased with our effort level throughout the entire game. Bloomington’s tremendous length and athleticism fueled their suffocating team defense, which held the Saints to just two first half points. Despite our first half offensive struggles, I thought our team defense, led by eighth grader Houghton, did an excellent job of matching the physicality of Bloomington, which forced them into many difficult shots.
In the second half, the Saints maintained this solid defense, while also playing better on the offensive side of the ball. These two factors led to a much cleaner second half for our Salem Saints. Although this second half effort was not enough to comeback (final score: 11-33), both Neal Anderson and I were proud of the way our boys competed. It would have been easy for a young team play timid against such a physically imposing opponent, however; our Salem Saints played with a fearlessness that led to a fun second half of basketball!
The boys will have one practice this week (Tuesday) before Thanksgiving break. As we approach Thanksgiving, it is my prayer that our players use this time to reflect on the countless blessings God has given us!
By: Coach Travis Koester
