Boys' Basketball Struggling Down The Stretch

INTIMIDATION IS NOT A FACTOR: The Cats' have played highly ranked opponents as strong as the Comets before and junior point guard Jamie Harper (top) and freshman guard Keywhon Powns (bottom) held their own against their highly ranked opponents.

Ten days are left in the regular season for the Boys' Basketball squad and cause for concer has risen out of a two game losing streak and poor play as of late.
On Jan. 28, the Hoopsters struggled to put away a Hamilton Yankee squad they had beaten previously this season by 41 points. The Yanks led 18-15 at the end of the first quarter, which was a wakeup call for the Cats. A strong second and third quarter gave the Cats a sizable advantage and enabled them to withstand a fourth quarter rally by the Yankees. Senior guard Alex Brooks poured in 24 points and sophomore forward David Nwaba chipped in with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
A meeting against the top-ranked Westchester Comets on Jan. 30 was a highly anticipated match-up. The Comets were only able to win the previous game between the two by 17 points despite jumping out to a 14-point first quarter lead. "We're always looking for continued improvement," said Head Coach Steve Ackerman. "As we move towards the playoffs [the Comets] are a perfect opponent for our playoff preparation."
This time around, the Cats were flatout dominated by what many consider the top team in the state of California. After the Cats switched from an effective man-to-man defense to a 1-2-2 zone and a thunderous dunk by Nwaba on Comets' star, and highly ranked college basketball recruit, Dwayne Polee, the Comets took over. By the end of the first quarter, the Comets led 27-10 and did not look back.
Instead of fighting to keep it respectable in front of a packed house, the Cats could not overcome their mental mistakes to keep the Comets from lighting up the scoreboard.
Twenty-six Wildcat turnovers and a poor shooting night, albeit against one of the country's top teams, are concerning with the playoffs right around the corner. A loss yesterday, to the Venice Gondoliers, is even bigger cause for concern for the Cats.
The Cats had a lackluster performance in their previous match-up with the Gondos, but were at least able to win and solidify their third place standing in the Western League. Unfortunately, the Cats lead over the Gondos is gone now after the loss.
Fifteen turnovers and only two players, Brooks and senior forward Andre Harris, in double digits scoring was the Cats' undoing.
"As a coach, I'm always concerned about peaking too early," said Ackerman. "I'm concerned that we could get stale before the Division-II playoffs. I think that we are one of five teams that can win [Division-II]."
The Hoopsters have to right the ship in a hurry, with a key home match-up tomorrow at 4 p.m. against the Palisades Dolphins. A loss against the Dolphins can damage the Cats' quest for a top seed in the Division-II playoffs which would give them more home games throughout the tournament.