(BOYS) Archbishop MacDonald (Edmonton) left wishing Mt. Boucherie Bears were hibernating
A true David and Goliath Story.
Written by Andrew Blackmore, Brentwood Grad ‘06
As science has shown us over centuries a bear is larger than a Marauder. This seemed to be the case in the match up today. What the Marauders lacked in size they made up for in intensity and determination. The game opening jump ball featured Maruader #10 DeCorby facing off with the towering Bear #7 Korkmazel with Korkmazel winnging possession for his team. Right out of the gate Bear #2 Labadie had a defensive block which seemed to charge his team into an offensive pursuit. Maruader #2 Shehata helped his team get on the board, sinking a single foul. In a bizarre turn of events Bear #2 Labadie missed an easy layup pass with the ball shooting out of his hands faster than it went in, leading me to conclude that he must have been eating corn on the cob or some kind of lubricated food before the game. The stands had quieted down now since the previous games as both teams are visiting from out of town. The lack of crowd was no matter for either team as they both were licking their chops for the sweet succulent taste of victory. At 8 seconds to go on the clock and the score 24-5 for the Bears, the Marauders call a time out. Interestingly enough it is an injured Marauder player who led the time out huddle instead of the head coach. Bold strategy. But if there is one thing I have learned in 31 years of trial and error it is that history has favoured the bold.
First Quarter Fun Fact:
ma·raud·er
/məˈrôdər
noun
1. a person who marauds; a raider.
"a band of English marauders were surprised and overcome"
The second quarter began with the Bears pushing hard offensively right out of the gates. Despite all odds the Marauder defense had remained tenacious but was proven to be no match for the Bears. As the Bears kept racking up points on the score board the Marauders kept a fast paced transition. The Marauders called a time out at 3:26 left in the quarter and the score 46-5 for the big bad Bears. Finally the Marauders sank a well earned basket from #5 Torralba. At the end of the first half the Marauders were up 52-9. The Marauders head coach had left the team to their own devices as he remained almost silent during the intermission. Suddenly the Marauder coach sprung into action with eccentric use of hand gestures and diagrams on a white board. This seemed to be an attempt to breath some life back into the Marauders collapsing lung of a game.
Second Half Fun Fact:
While bears tend to slow down during the winter, they are not true hibernators. Black bears, Grizzly bears and Brown bears do go into a deep sleep during the winter months, known as torpor.
In true Marauder fashion the team returned. They made their way, heads low, back to the court. The Bears returned charged from the first course of their long meal of mauled Marauder. Marauder #9 Philipenko had earned his place in the key. He had proved to be a gritty player that is hungry for points but did not seem to break free from the defensive prison the Bears had surrounded him in. He did not quit. At 6:20 left in the quarter and the Bears up 62-10 the Marauders called another time out. It appeared as though the Marauder head coach was back in the game with more extensive white board marking and gesturing. The Mauraders came back with more offensive energy as #13 Lamanna sunk a jump shot from deep. The third quarter of this match saw an excessive amount of substitutions as each coach was trying to find the perfect match of experience, energy and talent to help their respected teams. At the end of the third quarter the Bears had a devastating lead of 68-18 to which they showed no signs of slowing down.
Then the 4th quarter began. Things were getting physical. In primal acts of frustration, the Marauders were getting exceedingly physical with the bears. This is never a good idea no matter what kind of bear you may be dealing with. I wasn’t the only one to notice as the referees gave out multiple warnings against the Marauders. Against all odds and logic, the intensity in the game had re-surfaced. This was marked by multiple shot attempts by the Marauders and hard driven lay ups and deep 3 pointers by the Bears. The Marauders were perhaps playing a game of numbers hoping that on at least one of their jump shots the ball must surely go through the hoop. At the end of the game the Bears won an understated land slide victory 88-23. Although most bears are tucked away in hibernation this time of year there are still some who are awake and who are desperately hungry for basketball victories. A word to the wise for all residents living on the North Shore this weekend.