(BOYS) Brentwood tops Rockridge Ravens in Convincing Win Friday Evening

Brentwood v Rockridge Ravens

December 10, Round 2

The Brentwoodians were coming off a Round 1 loss to private school counterpart Collingwood. Looking sinister Brentwood was all in black. On the other side Rockridge had interesting shorts. Not sure about the little white tags on the back exposed by the roll down. Apparently, guys still do that. Manufacturers take note. Make different shorts. The 8 man Brentwood crew took on the 13-man local Rockridge team. But those numbers don’t predict the result.

Early 3s by the Ravens were matched by Brentwood with neither team opening up an early lead. I love barnburners and I’m looking for one here. Time out Rockridge at 13-7 for Brentwood.  To Ravens’ Ghasemi made a gorgeous 3 to make it 17-12 Brentwood. I wonder if he is a middle- distance runner. Built for it, long strides and speed. End of Q1 21-15 Brentwood.

Steal and lefty dunk by Brentwood #8 but I can’t see a #8 on the roster. My bad. Okay he’s lefthanded but still…ya gotta like the lift that gives. Ghasemi attempted a deep 3 and was knicked by a Brentwoodian for 3 charity shots. He made the first and third. A pullup mid range made and a lay-up by Thomas Harris of Rockridge kept the Ravens in touch, although barely. 35-19 Brentwood with 6 to go in Q2. Sadly Rockridge turned a Brentwood steal into 2 shots against them on a foul on a putback. Gotta love the heart though. A corner 3 by Harris made it 44-22 for Brentwood. The Pasquale of Brentwood went down hard and had to sit on the Brentwood short bench, threatening to shorten it even further. This game didn’t feel one-sided but some how it got there. Plenty of time left though.

Halftime: Brentwood 49 – Rockridge 25

Brentwood came out fast and organized, as it behooved them to do, scoring the first two buckets.

Then Harris for Rockridge launched a successful step back 3 right at the shot clock buzzer. Confident play. Q3 tied at 6-6 thanks to Ghasemi’s 2 free throws made but it quickly went to 13-6 as the Rockridge shooters went cold. Brentwood was relentless and punishing every Raven’s misstep. 73-38 Brentwood at the end of Q3, a lead of 35.

Random Thought: If I was a coach I’d say ‘please make your foul shots. They’re free!’

Q4 was an intermittent turnover fest nudging the game to bakery status. Rockridge didn’t match their level of play from Round 1 as the lead began to stretch, interrupted by 2 Ravens’ 3’s and a 2 by Harris; and another 3 by Jacob Brandt and one by Mattias Behm. Now 76-52, the lead down to 24. While the game is, at this stage, out of reach for Rockridge it is amazing how that doesn’t affect their level of effort and commitment. With 2:31 to go its 78-54 Brentwood. Ravens’ Jesse Grieve drained a 3 but more turnovers. Brentwood’s Philip Akindipe blocked shots effectively using his height and athleticism. Yet in the last minute Rockridge’s Jacob Brandt, the smallest guy on the floor, drove baseline for 2. Playing for pizza at this stage. Brentwood’s Sajeev Saravanan punctuated the game with a corner 3 inside 20 sec left.

Final Score: Brentwood 86, Rockridge 59