Got lemons?

Make lemonade. That's an old saying, and it's true as long as you've got sugar, water and a lot of ice. Nobody wants warm lemonade.

So, 17U, it was a tough night. A grind. When open shots aren't falling, when the other team is a real "team" that handless fullcourt pressure well, then we're in for a real test. OBBT gave us that tonight, and I'm proud to say we dealt with reality and stepped out of Palolo Gym with a hard-earned 41-36 overtime win.

If we make half of our 3-point tries, it's a blowout. They sat back in that zone and took their chances. If we make 1/3 of our 3-point tries, we have a double-digit lead by halftime. But it's clear most (or all) of us aren't shooting the ball every day. There's track. There's volleyball. Who knows what else? But we shot like a rusty team, nothing like we did the first two weekends. So please prioritize, and use 30 minutes a day to hit the gym or park just to work on your shooting.

Make 100 free throws. Make 100 3-pointers. Every day. It will transform you.

Great hustle, hard work on the boards and a lot of smart defense. That's what kept us in the game. What won us the game was a willingness to attack the basket and get to the foul line. I also think we wore OBBT down by pushing the tempo all game long. Everyone did his part offensively and defensively. I'm still happy about the great teamwork we have, sharing the ball and hustling for each other. Props to OBBT, props to our team, too. It was a well-fought game with good sportsmanship by the teams.

Sometimes shots don't fall. I'll never feel down about that as long as we keep working hard and encouraging each other.

Another 17U game on Sunday afternoon, 3 p.m., Palolo Gym. Get there by 2 p.m. so we can have a solid shootaround. The 15U had a good shootaround on Friday afternoon, then scored 43 first-half points the next morning.

Sunday
3 p.m., 17U vs. Hawaiian Punch, Palolo Gym. Be there an hour early (2 p.m.)
5 p.m. Practice, Makiki Park

Monday
Possible practice, 5 p.m., Makiki Park. Depends on my work schedule.

This week's practice and game schedule to be announced later.

Coach Paul (551-1054)