|
|
|
Defensively, Blue Springs South had plenty of hustle, but not enough muscle when it suffered a 10-point loss to Rockhurst in December, according to South boys basketball coach Jimmy Cain.
In Tuesday night’s 50-44 win at Rockhurst, the Class 5 No. 9 Jaguars had hustle and muscle.
“I’m not sure if we completely matched their physical play all the time, but we fought pretty hard,” Cain said.
Rockhurst coach Mark Nusbaum also said that the Jaguars were more physical Tuesday than they had been in meeting No. 1.
“We didn’t match it early,” he said. “I think they got 16 steals. They got hands on the ball a lot. We didn’t take care of it.”
Establishing a defensive presence was key to South’s victory, according to senior guard D.J. Booker.
“I think we did a great job on the defensive end, rebounding and everything,” Booker said. “And it was a team effort, no doubt.”
Playing good defense is a team cornerstone, South junior guard Justin Pitts suggested.
“We work on it hard every day in practice, and we come out and try to play hard as we can,” Pitts said.
Sparked by their scrappy defense, the Jaguars (19-3) built cushions that helped them withstand Rockhurst’s scoring surges. Leading 10-8 after one quarter, they launched a 9-0 second-quarter run to stake their first double-digit lead. South went on to lead 21-15 at halftime.
Then, with South leading 30-26 late in the third quarter, the Jaguars posted a 12-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. It helped them survive a 9-0 Rockhurst run that made it 47-42 with 1:06 left.
“They did a great job of battling back,” said Booker, who paced South with 13 points. “Hats off to those guys. They fought hard.”
Nusbaum was pleased with his team’s persistence. However, for the Hawklets (16-5) to defeat teams such as South, they must “start better,” he said. The key to doing so, he observed, is to take better care of the ball.
“We had 15 turnovers at halftime,” Nusbaum said. “... Of those 15, I think 11 were steals, which means they’re getting hands on passes.”
By contrast, the Jaguars must be physical, according to Cain. That includes their inside game and rebounding.
“I feel like we’re getting better at that,” Cain said. “I think that’s something that we can take from this game and really move forward with it.”
Defensively, Blue Springs South had plenty of hustle, but not enough muscle when it suffered a 10-point loss to Rockhurst in December, according to South boys basketball coach Jimmy Cain.
In Tuesday night’s 50-44 win at Rockhurst, the Class 5 No. 9 Jaguars had hustle and muscle.
“I’m not sure if we completely matched their physical play all the time, but we fought pretty hard,” Cain said.
Rockhurst coach Mark Nusbaum also said that the Jaguars were more physical Tuesday than they had been in meeting No. 1.
“We didn’t match it early,” he said. “I think they got 16 steals. They got hands on the ball a lot. We didn’t take care of it.”
Establishing a defensive presence was key to South’s victory, according to senior guard D.J. Booker.
“I think we did a great job on the defensive end, rebounding and everything,” Booker said. “And it was a team effort, no doubt.”
Playing good defense is a team cornerstone, South junior guard Justin Pitts suggested.
“We work on it hard every day in practice, and we come out and try to play hard as we can,” Pitts said.
Sparked by their scrappy defense, the Jaguars (19-3) built cushions that helped them withstand Rockhurst’s scoring surges. Leading 10-8 after one quarter, they launched a 9-0 second-quarter run to stake their first double-digit lead. South went on to lead 21-15 at halftime.
Then, with South leading 30-26 late in the third quarter, the Jaguars posted a 12-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. It helped them survive a 9-0 Rockhurst run that made it 47-42 with 1:06 left.
“They did a great job of battling back,” said Booker, who paced South with 13 points. “Hats off to those guys. They fought hard.”
Nusbaum was pleased with his team’s persistence. However, for the Hawklets (16-5) to defeat teams such as South, they must “start better,” he said. The key to doing so, he observed, is to take better care of the ball.
“We had 15 turnovers at halftime,” Nusbaum said. “... Of those 15, I think 11 were steals, which means they’re getting hands on passes.”
By contrast, the Jaguars must be physical, according to Cain. That includes their inside game and rebounding.
“I feel like we’re getting better at that,” Cain said. “I think that’s something that we can take from this game and really move forward with it.”
