Ikaika League, JV Division, McCully gym
MAHALO to Brandon Higashionna for shooting tonight's game video!
Just Play was tough. Tall, long, athletic. Mostly Radford and Leilehua (OIA JV champs) players. But I still think we have the better talent.
We showed lots of heart. Good effort and we made some good plays. The lack of practice time together showed, however. We'd make two or three great defensive plays then lapse and give up easy, open looks. We'd attack with smart decisions, passing the ball and being physical, taking open shots. Then we'd settle for contested shots instead of going back to what had been working.
We'll hammer this out at practice. We were inconsistent on both ends, falling behind in the first half after committing three or four turnovers in a row, and it was uphill the rest of the way. We got within one or two points late in the game, then we stopped attacking the low post, or we didn't run our plays, didn't move the ball for easy cuts and layups.
A lot of this is because TRUST is developed through practice time and reps together. And we haven't had enough of that. We have the talent, but we need chemistry.
And we need to play smarter. Our best defender at the rim ran out to the foul line at least three times instead of protecting the rim, and each time we gave up an easy basket. Add up all the mental errors, the unnecessary turnovers, the average and below-average shots, the missed layups, the missed free throws — at least 10 or 12 — and that's how a close game turns into a loss.
We're 1-1 now in this league. After seven games, the top half of the 16 teams will advance to the championship playoffs. We missed an opportunity tonight. Let's go get the next one.
Lineup: Sierra, Felcris, Jonah, Jhevin, Jance, Trinity, Ryan, Tenchi, Kali'a, Kyle, Radyn, Chase.
We're still missing Colin (ankle), Chris (football), Josh D (hand), Jared (volleyball/Roosevelt varsity basketball), Gabriel (injuries). Tani Mosi will have football practice this week for their Kalihi Disciples championship game.
We will win this championship. Believe. Show up. Work together. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. We've got 8 games left. Run, Thunder. Run to the SHIP.
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