Boys: Handsworth vs. Belmont

Written by Jeff McCutcheon, Handsworth Grad 2006

We're back at the Handsworth gym where Thursday night the Belmont Bulldogs were looking to upset the #5 ranked Handsworth Royals. Both teams are coming off big wins yesterday and the winner of this will truly be in a great position as this marquee tournament rolls along.

Like his coaches beautiful flow Royals Guard Nate Watters went absolutely on fire! Halfway through the first quarter he drained a couple threes and also had two lay ups to his name. At the other end of the court Belmont was doing a great job around the perimeter to keep this a close match. After the first quarter the home town Royals find themselves up 29-16.

Second quarter opened with both teams nailing long range shots. It's clear both of these squads have some great shooters and neither are afraid of putting them up. Three minutes in Bulldogs Nishad Tarak made a great fall-away shot and instantly fired up his teammates bench. Rallying from this big play Belmont was hitting the glass hard racking up offensive rebounds on four straight possessions. If the hometown boys can't find a way to box these dogs out we are going to be in for a very close finish. Halfway through it was Handsworth 54 and Belmont 39.

The Royals started the second half in an intense 1-2-2 full court press. All 5 players worked together to create multiple turnovers which led to easy points for the home team. The handsome Coach Mowat, wearing snug fitting Nike track pants on black Air Jordans, refused to let up on the offensive side either - demanding his players to push the ball and play the fast paced tempo he loves. As the third quarter comes to an end its 74 - 50 Royals. 

Both teams perimeter shooting continued to shine in the fourth quarter. Hopefully neither of these refs did arms yesterday because they are getting a workout raising their arms this evening. As Handsworth begins to pull away in this one, credit goes to the visiting Bulldogs. They never stopped fighting and continued to work hard until the final whistle, a Quinn Keast classic. 

Final score Handsworth 98 and Belmont 58.

Good luck to both teams down the road!

Player of the game: Nate Watters (Handsworth)