OKM Huskies Sustain Pressure, Defeat GW Graham Grizzlies
Friday, December 9, 2022
Written by Scott Leigh, Handsworth ‘06
Mission v GW Graham
Two teams that are here on a Friday night after suffering a loss in the first round, are looking to rebound and earn their first W in the 2022 No Regrets Tourney. Both teams have come out of the gates with a defense-first attitude, and this has led to a low scoring but high intensity start to the game.
The GW Graham Grizzlies may not have the height advantage in this matchup, but they certainly have an advantage when it comes to the number of players on their team. Rumour has it they travel with a set of 10 extra chairs so that every team member can have their own seat on the bench. These two squads are competing and forcing their opponent to earn every basket, and this has resulted in a close match up as we head into the break.
At the half, Mission is up 34-27.
Halftime Fact: Grizzlies are the largest species of bear in North America and can weigh up to 800 pounds. Huskies have a thick double coat of fur, which helps them to withstand extreme cold temperatures.
The Grizzlies have started the second half in a zone defense, and it has caught the Huskies off-guard as they have struggled to find a successful approach to breaking it down. The surprise zone is doing its job, and now has pulled the Huskies within 2 points just a couple minutes into the half. After the surprise factor diminished, the Huskies have found success against the zone primarily with the three ball. With one quarter remaining, the Huskies are up by 8.
Here we go ladies and gentlemen, time to find out if the Grizzlies are entering hibernation mode or if they possibly have a little bit more to give before it’s time to rest. The Grizzlies are looking for the deep ball to play a large role in getting them back into this game, and a couple back-to-back threes has cut the lead in half. Bodies are flying in this physical game, so much so that we had to take a short pause and towel down the floor after a couple of bodies went sliding across the squeaky clean floor. Everything you would expect with two teams working their tails off for a W.
In the end the OKM Huskies were able to sustain the pressure and the comeback attempt from the Grizzlies, and walked out of this beautiful new Handsworth gym with a well-deserved victory.
Final score: Mission 78 - GW Graham 65.
No Regrets.