Boys 3rd/4th: Carson Graham vs. Collingwood
The host Collingwood (spectacular facilities, no?) took on the boys from down the hill in the pre-lim to the boys final. MC Justin, decked out in a vintage Vancouver Grizzlies hat, Canadian plaid and a Zac Brown beard, delivered the intro in his finest basso profundo. And he sings too! The anthem over, the boys on the court got down to work. This will be a game where the lighting fast and skilled Carson guards will test Collingwood’s rugby/basketball oriented skills. For those who can’t take their eyes off the Carson wallpaper warm-ups, its time to find a hobby.
Note: Carson’s spark plug and lightning quick quarterback Chris Demetillo was unavailable for the game due to his commitment to his world-class break-dancing team. Kid is lights-out talented!!
The first few minutes had more turnovers than a Danish bakery as both teams sought their footing. Cavs #24 provided early scoring from the foul line and under the basket. A three from Eagles #11 Ballard got them off the schneid 4 minutes in to make it 6-3 Cavs. At 10-3, with #11’s three their only score, the Eagles called a timeout. Carson’s Lartey tried to penetrate several times only to be stripped. So what does he do? He nails one from long range. 10-6 Cavs. The Carson guards have already been charged with multiple counts of robbery of ball and the first quarter isn’t even over.
In the second it was the Cavs who took ball deprivation seriously and got a couple of fast break baskets as the track meet heated up. And, of course Lartey responded with a three. If anyone out there is bemoaning the demise of the fast break, this game is for you. On the other hand if you are bemoaning the loss of the pure shooters…..In the middle of the second it is Cavs 23-14. A coach, who will go nameless, enquired of one of his player’s on the floor what the name was of his girlfriend that he was thinking so much about that he wasn’t concentrating on his shot. He blushed and then drained a 3. Now that’s coaching!
Cavs Gr. 10 #4 showed great speed down the court, a suitable answer for Lartey. Cavs #20.
37-22 at the half. Carson 9/11 from the foul line. But scoring in 1s is not a good long term game plan.
Halftime thought to ponder: Is ‘cavalier’ an attitude or a thing/person? Oh yeah, and how cool is it that the Collingwood scorers’ table is lit up?
The second half saw Lartey of Carson go down hard and leave the floor to be replaced by Rajwani. Lead stretching for the Cavs, now at 19. Without 2 of their best guards Duque was alone in the super-quick category. What does he do? Drains a three. Cavs #24 Preston is having a significant influence on this game at both ends of the yard. Bustos for the Cavs converted an ‘and 1’ followed by a Preston scoring drive. Cavs now lead by 20. Carson can answer but just not often enough to narrow the lead. A heroic drive by Carson’s Rajwani resulted in a failed ‘and 1’. Case in point. At the end of three the Cavs lead was 23 (55-32).
And now the final frame. Carson attempted a 3-2-1 defence with 7 minutes to go but were caught out and a sheepish black clad Eagle slunk off the court. Lartey had returned and was clearly feeling better as he tried an off-tackle drive to draw a foul.That scoring was cancelled by the Cavs own bucked and then, for awhile, no one could score. Lartey drew an offensive foul showing his courage and resilience. At 65-41 subs came in and brought their own special energy to this foregone conclusion. It always a treat to see the bench bring it - so ernest.
Final score: Collingwood 65 Carson Graham 45
Player-of-the-Game: Tyler Preston