Salem Comes Out Victorious in Fast-Paced Home Opener
On Friday night, our Salem A team opened up the 2018-2019 basketball season at home against the King of Grace Knights. After three long weeks of hard practices, our players were extremely excited for Friday night lights in front of the home crowd!
Right off the opening tip-off, it was quite evident that the always well-coached Knights from Golden Valley were prepared for a twenty-six minute battle, as they used their size advantage to crash the offensive glass to jump out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first couple minutes. However, after the first five minutes, our Saints adjusted to the speed of the game and seized control. In the latter stages of the first half, our players went on an impressive scoring run that was fueled by a mix of great outside shooting and excellent execution of fast break opportunities on the offensive end. The other key that led to our 18-12 halftime lead was an impressive team effort from our zone defense, which stymied the Knight into long possessions ending with contested shots.
Throughout the entire second half, it seemed as if our Saints were always the aggressor, keeping King of Grace on their heels. Our awesome effort on the defensive side of the ball continued until the final buzzer, holding the Knights to just nine second half points. I am so proud of how our eighth graders stepped up and led through communication and a competitive toughness that rubbed off on the entire team, propelling our Saints to an emotional victory (31-23 final score) in a challenging opening game of the season!
Eighth grader John (13 points) put on a shooting clinic, knocking down three crucial three-pointers. John has a truly remarkable shot with a quick release that generates beautiful arc on the ball. These successful jump shots were vital because it forced King of Grace to extend their defense, which helped open up driving lanes inside. Eighth grader Griffin (16 points) took full advantage of these driving opportunities by using his dominate ball-handling skills to slither into the lane and finish with incredible touch around the basket. If John and Griffin play at this level with these excellent leadership skills all season, we are going to be a tough team to beat. Griffin, along with fellow eighth grader Reese (2 points), did an outstanding job leading our fundamentally sound 2-3 zone defense. Griffin battled and secured many rebounds on the backside of the zone, limiting King of Grace to very few shots per possession. Reese displayed excellent positioning and quick defensive hands, deflecting and stealing numerous passes in key situations.
Although sloppy mistakes and turnovers are to be expected in the first game of any season, both Neal and I were extremely pleased at how well our Saints valued the basketball and limited turnovers. As King of Grace tightened up their defensive pressure down the stretch, our guards were not phased as we salted away the win. In game one of the season, our Salem Saints played like an experienced and prepared basketball team, which makes the coaches very proud! This team has a ton of potential and I am excited to see what God has in store for us the rest of the season!
By: Coach Travis Koester
