NJB All-Net 15-Under championship game, Kilauea gym
CONGRATULATIONS, CHAMPIONS!!!Tani hit a follow shot in front of the rim as the buzzer sounded to give the Thunder the 15U crown. Both Tani and Raydyn were battling on the offensive glass in those crazy last 10 seconds. They missed at least a couple of putbacks before Tani put up the winner.
We were behind early, unwilling to pound the ball inside. But eventually, we got into their 1-2-2 zone and were rewarded. It's always going to be a challenge, finding that shooting stroke at 9:30 am, 12 hours after playing another game.
It took us almost the entire length of the game to rally and take the lead, but our fullcourt pressure gradually wore the Storm down. It was another championship-level effort defensively, guys hitting the floor for loose balls, battling Mililani's tall posts for everything.
There were big steals (I remember one by Kapaa) and big stops. One of them was a defensive gem by Raydyn, who stepped in to take a charge from Mililani's big man on the break in the second half.
Tani and Kapaa were relentless in the second half, attacking the basket, and we made enough plays with interior passing to get easier shots. We learned a lot in this game, and winning the title is icing on the cake.
I've never seen a team literally go from the bottom to the top within one season, but you guys did it. We forfeited our first game, struggled to put enough players on the court, but nobody complained and everybody hustled. When we got our full lineup back together, it was magical after that.
This is a really interesting group in many ways. It's one of the youngest 15U teams we've had. The only 15-year-olds are Kanehe, Anu, Sifo and Sierra. Everyone else is 14 or 13.
Today's lineup: Gabriel Porras, Sierra Murobayashi, Kanehe Nishimura,Kapaa Nishimura, Jared Elwin, Mosi Afe, Chase Santos, Keanu Pratt, Raydyn Kaleikini.
Mahalo to Eric for shooting the game video again!
Next: Monday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Tuesday, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Buffanblu (Kalani Varsity League). Warmups/stretching 6:15 pm.
NOTE: No shooting practice on Sunday. You guys can go to McCully and shoot when the gym opens 11:00 am. I'm going to be visiting my baby grand-niece in Mililani from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. She'll be gone the rest of summer, so I don't want to miss my chance to meet her.
WE LUB THIS GAME!!
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