Mulgrave Titan's Three-Pointers Too Much for Prince George Polars
Mulgrave vs. Prince George Secondary School
Written by Jamie Keast, Handsworth ‘06
Day 2 starts off with the home team, the Mulgrave Titans, matching up against the Prince George Polars, who are playing in their first ever No Regrets Basketball Tournament. Both teams are coming off a first-round loss-the Titans to Centennial, and Prince George to St. George’s.
Mulgrave’s tallest player, who is not warming up, appears to have broken his arm, so they will be without him today. A big block by PGSS’s #13, Deakon Anderson, on the first possession, keeps Mulgrave from scoring, however their #12, Matt Gollner, opens up scoring with a baseline three. A beautiful back-door pass from PGSS’s #3, Kavan Varaich, to #10, Harsh Cheema, gives PGSS their first points outside the freethrow line. On the next possession, Mulgrave’s #24 drives hard into Varaich, earning him an offensive foul and turning the ball over. PGSS’s #10, Cheema, puts up a tough shot against two defenders, misses, and gets his own rebound for another PGSS opportunity. Polars put on the full-court press causing some delays in Mulgrave’s offense, but that didn’t stop Gollner from hitting another three for the Titans.
After trading possessions, Gollner then drives hard to the basket on a fast break and gets the hoop and the harm. PGSS didn’t line up for the free throw, and upon suggestion from another Titan player, Gollner purposely misses the freethrow and #24 gets the rebound and putback for an easy 2. Mulgrave leads 21-10 with one minute left in the quarter with the Polars pressing, but the Titans break the press for an open layup. At the end of the first quarter, Mulgrave is up 26-12.
To open up the second quarter, Mulgrave’s #3, Abtin Zehtab, hits a baseline three, his second in as many possessions. Mulgrave is in a zone defense which is causing challenges for PGSS, but Polar’s #11, Jack Brown, hits a three pointer which revitalizes the PGSS team. Cheema adds two more to the Polar’s total with two free-throws followed by a three by their #23, Rajveer Gill. After a steal on the other end, PGSS’s # 3 gets a breakaway and is fouled on an And-One layup. After some sloppy play and turnovers from both teams, Mulgrave’s #13, Mitch Dai, gets a steal of his own and a breakaway layup. This brings the game to within 8 points as Mulgrave continues to lead. With two minutes to go in the half, Mulgrave’s Zehtab hits another long three. To finish the half, Mulgrave’s #5, Nik Rubin, gets the hoop and the harm, heading to the line and hitting his free throw for a 3-point play, followed by another long three from their #12 Gollner. Mulgrave leads PGSS 48-31.
PGSS opens the second half with a three pointer from Cheema, the start of a 11-4 run from the Polars. It appears that the halftime speech from Coach Burbee has inspired the Polars! With 5 minutes to go in the quarter, and the Titans leading by 10, Mulgrave’s Zehtab hits another three. The Polars continue to play tough defense, and come within 9 points of the Titans. At the end of the third quarter, Mulgrave leads PGSS 59-48.
PGSS and Mulgrave continue to swap baskets-PGSS gets a nice lay-in from #3, Kavan Varaich, but Mulgrave returns with another three pointer. PGSS will need Mulgrave to slow down offensively if they want a chance to win this game. In back-to-back possessions, Mulgrave isn’t able to capitalize whereas PGSS is, and #13, Deakon Anderson, on the Polars brings the game to within 8 points.
A game stoppage occurs due to a cramping calf on the Titans squad. Both teams huddle up and regroup for the last 7 minutes of the game. An And-One play from Titan’s #24 sends him to the line where he misses the extra point. A Mulgrave steal on two back-to-back possessions leads to a two-on-one fast break followed by a a drive from #5 which sent him to the line for 2. With three minutes to go in the game, Mulgrave leads by 16. PGSS is not going down without a fight, though, as the game continues at a fast pace.
Final Score: Mulgrave 76-PGSS 58.