Tale of George the Saint vs. George the Prince sees St. George's Boys top Prince George
Written by Scott Leigh, Handsworth ‘06
St. George’s v. Prince George
The Prince George Polars have traveled from afar to take part in this tournament, and their reward for coming is to face the always competitive St. George’s squad in their first game. George the saint versus George the prince - will the saint or the prince prevail?
The extended travel time for the Polars to get here does not appear to have affected their energy in the early parts of the game. Both teams have had a balanced attack offensively, including some nice finishes inside as well as hitting some shots from range. The early season nerves are evident as both teams have committed one or two more turnovers than their coaches would prefer, but expect those to be reduced as the players comfort and feel for the game settles in.
#5 for St. George’s, Hayden Rogers, is finding his rhythm, navigating his way to the rim and finishing inside - even though height is not his advantage. He is crafty and able to create enough space while penetrating to find his lane and finish with both hands. St. George’s has a narrow 1 point lead at the end of the first quarter, up 20-19 over the Polars.
Prince George has started the second quarter looking to establish their presence on the inside. They have bodied up downlow and have not been afraid to initiate contact and then finish at the rim. St. George countered the Polars size with pace, and have been able to extend their lead to 5 by penetrating from the perimeter and finding the open man. #24 for St. George’s, Will Hyland, has heated up from deep with back-to-back threes, and is looking to build momentum before the halftime bell rings. With more pressure and maybe a bit of that travel being felt, St. George’s has pushed their lead with a halftime score of 44-30.
Halftime Fact: The view from the treadmill in the Mulgrave fitness center has been said to have a value of $2.2 million. Yes, just the view.
Big man for the Polars, #13 Deakon Anderson, will be looking to continue to work the low post area as his team attempts to get this game back within reach. St. George’s is doing a great job of moving the ball around on offense and finding the open man - not every shot is dropping but they are getting great looks. St. George’s lead is growing, getting up near 20 during the third quarter. The fatigue factor is setting in for the out-of-town Polars, who also have a short bench after a number of their players couldn’t make the trip down for the No Regrets Tournament. At the end of Q3, St. George’s is up 55-41.
The fourth quarter involved a continuation of the third quarter, where St. George’s found ways to slowly increase their lead through great execution. These teams have shown up and performed well in their first game of the tournament without many subs available. Impressive to see the effort exerted and the leave it all on the court attitude coming from both squads. St. George’s balanced attack proved to be too much for the Polars.
Today, the saint outdueled the prince.
Final Score: St. George’s 82 - Prince George 55.
Rest up folks, day one is in the books but we are just getting warmed up for 2 more incredible days of basketball!
No Regrets.