The 13U did it again. They beat Hawaii Kai, a team from the CAL Gold Division, 33-22 tonight in an exhibition contest. It was one of their smartest games. Instead of settling for 3-point shots against a smaller team, Sifo and Tani took the ball to the basket against the 2-3 zone.
Kyle, Micah and Paul did an excellent job of being patient, using fakes and hitting the high post (Sifo) to set up high-percentage shots. We did a good (not great) job against Hawaii Kai's press. We are, by far, the best passing team that I've seen in 13U. It's a skill that older teams often lack.
It was a solid finale in 13U for Sifo, who will be too old for this age group with the CAL Fall League begins on Aug. 10. When he pounds it inside, few teams can stop him. Sifo getting to the foul line over and over worked as a mini-timeout for all our guys each time.
Our shooting wasn't consistent, but our fullcourt pressure was swarming — when we called it. With just seven players suited up, we couldn't risk getting fatigued against a good team, or getting in foul trouble. But everyone stayed out of foul trouble and we had a minimum (almost) of hacking fouls. Good job of moving the feet and applying tough on-ball pressure.
That's saying a lot since we didn't have our best on-ball defender (Jared). Kodee (softball), Jenna (808 practice) and Mackie (808) also didn't make it to the game. I admit I had concerns about our lack of numbers before the game, but the Thunder played SMART basketball most of the night and that made a big difference.
We still have many things to work on. Chris pivoted to the basket only once all game even though he had 1-on-1 situations in the low post many times. We'll keep working on that; when Chris pivots, he is almost unstoppable down there. He just doesn't know it yet. But he will soon. That's part of being only 11.
Shooting practice 4:30 pm tomorrow (Saturday). I'll be working (technically still on vacation) in the early afternoon and early evening, so we'll get in a good shooting workout. I recommend that everyone from 17U down to 13U come work on their game. No substitute for reps under pressure.
Sunday: the Car Wash!
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