4:30pm
Wednesday January 23, 2008
Nolde Gymnasium
In their first game back from a two game road streak, the Mercersburg Blue Storm men's basketball squad dropped a difficult contest Wednesday afternoon to the Kamet Institute Hawks of Washington D.C. The first series of plays at either end saw two vastly different basketball teams. Mercersburg had a patient style of play, working the ball around the perimeter, possessing the ball and picking their shots. Kamet displayed a more up-tempo offense, filled with constant drives and swift post-play. Students, parents and teachers alike knew they would be in for an exciting clash of talent on the hardwood.
The first quarter was dominated by back-and-forth baskets between Mercersburg and Kamet. The Hawks took an early lead, but the Boys in Blue kept hitting right back with baskets from Brett Burrier ‘08 and Ben Eaton ‘08. Nearing the end of the first quarter of play, Kamet opened the lead up to 15-8. With seconds counting down, the young and dynamic Ajaye Dean ‘11 hit an unbelievably long fading jumper at the buzzer to end the quarter 10-15.
The second quarter saw the Hawks outscore the Storm 22-6. A flurry of turnovers, lack of boxing out and bad shot selection plagued the Storm from trimming down the expanding Kamet lead. To make matters worse, Hawks forwards Justin Grenway and Geran Pope combined for 20 points in the second quarter alone. Grenway, the Kamet’s clear-cut sharp shooter, hit from beyond the arc four times on the afternoon. Turnovers were a key component to giving Kamet the fast breaks they tactically thrive off of. The masked giant Gabe Martin ’08 explains: “What really messed us up [this afternoon] were our turnovers, right now I think that’s our only weakness – I think we’re pretty sound offensively and defensively – our turnovers are how we get behind in games.”
Athletic Director Ron Simar’s perennial classic rock hits on the loud speaker provided some enjoyment during time outs. Such hits this game included: “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer, “Tempted by the Fruit of Another” by Squeeze and “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. After a short exchange of baskets, the halftime buzzer finally rang, bringing an end to the onslaught of Hawks’ three pointers and fast break lay-ups.
A fresher and more relaxed Mercersburg squad took to the floor in the second half. Ben Eaton made two quick free throws to cut the lead down to 19. Despite some touch calls from the officiating crew, the Storm players continued to perform at a much improved level, nailing jumpers and efficient scores in the low post. Brett Burrier’s emphatic tomahawk dunk provided for a rare flash of dominance and somewhat of a momentum changer at 2:56 into the third quarter. The end of the quarter saw the resurgence of the Blue Storm. Instead of repetitive passing around the outside, the crowd was treated to some spectacular drives and drawn fouls from Mercersburg. The even better news was that the Dean was heating up.
In the final quarter, Ajaye Dean showed some surprising control and maturity of play for a ninth-grader. The 'junior' (in Mercersburg parlance) from Harrisburg racked up 12 of the Storm’s 21 fourth quarter points. Dean made two close range baskets and drew fouls both times to keep the Storm’s momentum going. The rest of the quarter had Burrier hooking up from three-point territory and solid play from the Mercersburg reserves. Unfortunately, the hot streak Mercersburg ignited towards the end of the game wasn’t enough to eclipse Kamet’s massive lead.
This 67-50 loss drops the Blue Storm to 3-9 on the season. They continue their three-game home streak Saturday January 26, 2008 at 4:15pm with a classic MAPL match-up against the Hun School of Princeton Raiders.
--by student reporter Ben Axelrod '08
