Back and forth game, led 10-9 at the half and we were within 22-18 with 3 minutes left. Then we went cold, had some unforced turnovers against their man-to-man defense, and gave up a few too many layups. A good effort overall, though we'll be crisper and sharper in the games coming up the next 3-4 weeks in this league and other leagues.
Great hustle defensively, but we'll have to smooth out the lapses in our 2-3 zone. Our fullcourt press was strong most of the time, just need to clean up a few things with on-ball pressure and be more consistent. (From what I saw tonight, we have the depth and talent to really push the tempo in every game. I wasn't expecting that possibility with such a young team, but it's definitely a great option for us.)
It's easy to get impatient, the the reality is that it'll take some time for our old-timers and our new guys to mesh. Just takes reps, practices, games. It comes together eventually, and we have some really solid talent to work with. So be patient.
As for our youth, I'm told that Punahou had a lot of (very good) 8th graders on the floor, just like us. They also had two juniors, which makes a pretty good difference. We were missing one senior (Haka) and one junior (Anu), and with them, we're definitely a more experienced and better team. Haka was a big factor last year when we beat Punahou 56-54. (Isaiah hit the winning shot.)
But I know with what we had tonight, we're going to win a lot of games, doesn't matter if we're competing at the varsity or JV level. Very optimistic here.
Our youngest guys got brief playing time and I hope they keep returning for all the leagues. When you're not on the court, there's no better place to learn than right there on the sideline. Some days we may not have a full lineup, your number will be called more often and it's always wise to be mentally prepared.
Good work tonight, Thunder. Getting better day by day, step by step. Mahalo to the parents who made the the drive, especially Coach Roy, who drove Josh and Felcris. Also, mahalo to Raydyn's mom, who stayed in town so he could play tonight. They have family from the mainland staying on the North Shore. They're here for his uncle's funeral.
Mahalo to Eric Murobayashi shooting the game video.
Next: Wednesday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
No practice Thursday, then a busy weekend ahead. See "THIS WEEK" for the weekend schedule. CAL games on Friday plus Aiea 15U tourney Fri-Sun. 15U has two games on Friday. 13U has one on Friday.
WE LUB THIS GAME!
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