(BOYS) Rockridge Ravens Earn Early Morning Win Against City Rivals West Van
West Vancouver Highlanders v Rockridge Ravens (boys)
December 11, Round 3
With a 9:15am game time the stands are sparsely filled with only the most die-hard, blurry eyed teenage supporters and a handful of parents, coffees in hand and phones at the ready hoping to catch their son in one shining moment®. From the stands one can’t help but notice that headbands and top knots are the look du jour for the Rockridge boys, which is cause for pause as one considers how Claire’s Park Royal could possibly have gone out of business.
An early morning tilt between two of West Vancouver’s finest squads starts with a flurry of fast break points lead by the Highlander guard duo of #7 Akbari and #13 Ahmed who filled it up early and often both from the outside as well as slashing to the hoop. Rockridge’s #11 Harris had something to say about that, handling the point and distributing to his favourite target #7 Grieve who led all Ravens scorers after the first quarter with 10 of their 19. West Van’s #21 Thiel was a force on the boards but the dynamic WV guard duo sputtered as the quarter wained, providing the Ravens with an opportunity to open up a small lead.
It continued to be a back and forth battle through the later stages of the first quarter until the home squad Rockridge Ravens took the lead on the hot hand of #11 Harris and started to open up it up in the final 3 minutes. However, some costly turnovers by Rockridge down the stretch allowed West Van to keep the Ravens within striking distance.
Rockridge 19 - West Van 10 at the end of the first quarter.
Some stirring words from coach Eberhardt and a quick reset between quarters gave West Van’s #7 Akbari a renewed spark and he started the 2nd quarter off with a slashing hoop plus the harm as the WV Highlanders attempted to mount a comeback.
At the 7:56 mark a scary moment as WV’s board crashing big man #21 Thiel took a hard shot to the groin region. After a few tenuous moments writhing on the floor he popped back up with a helping hand from a caring teammate. The crowd went wild!
Through the early stages of the 2nd quarter it continued to be all West Van as they upped the energy and pushed the pace taking their first lead since the first quarter 23-22 at the mid-way mark of the 2nd quarter. West Van’s #14 Gouglas came off of the bench with some quality minutes crashing the boards and picking up a couple of buckets for the Tartan. #21 Thiel of WV picked up where he left off in the first and continued to be a force on the offensive boards.
With 2:11 left in the quarter WV took a much needed timeout as the Rockridge O came back to life opening up a 33-25 lead. Unfortunately, unlike at the start of the quarter, the short break didn’t serve as an effective reset and Rockridge closed out the half 39-28 highlighted by a pretty reverse layup on the baseline from #0 Hamilton.
Halftime Score: Rockridge 39 - West Van 28
Some half time orange slices courtesy of Jimmy’s mom brought another spark to the West Van team as they came out of the locker room with a couple of nice offensive sequences to start the second half. However, Rockridge was up to the task as they too appear to be buoyed by some halftime snacks and some flashy new hair accessories. In the early going the Ravens managed to hold their own, maintaining a narrow lead until their decision to drop into a zone D backfires. West Van responded with some excellent ball movement and with 3:06 left in the 3rd quarter, tied the game!
#10 Bibbings of Rockridge made some key plays in the final 2 mins to quell the surging WV offense. The 3rd quarter ended with a bang as Rockridge’s #6 Ghasemi streaked across half surrounded by Tarten red and black and drilled a buzzer beating 3 from just over half!
End of the 3rd Quarter: Rockridge 63 - West Van 55
With the Raven’s lead down to 8 the Highlanders were keen to press the issue while they have some momentum coming out of a break that featured yet another stirring speech from Coach Ebes. However, once again, the Ravens had an answer for the Highlanders’ renewed energy and started the fourth quarter with a string of baskets to push their lead to 17. Coach Ebes, sensing the need for a spark, attempted to fire up his squad with some choice words for the Rockridge coach coming out a time out; from the stands we’re unable to make out exactly what was being exchanged through the masks but tensions were clearly running high based on the hand gestures.
The remainder of the fourth was more or less a back and forth affair with both teams opting to trade hoops versus play much D. #5 Sanagan for WV came alive with some deep 3’s before a heat check air ball. With a few minutes remaining WV picked up full court, pressing in an attempt to slow down the Rockridge O however it proved too little too late as Rockridge’s #2 Brandt, #10 Bibbings and #11 Harris all made big shots to keep a healthy lead into the final minute of play. The game concluded with Rockridge dribbling out the clock as players from both teams shake hands in a sign of good sportsmanship and mutual WV respect.
Final Score: Rockridge 85 - West Van 69.
No Regrets.