Eighth grader Dakota Wood gets the ball to his teammates to start the Eagles' season. Wood made 10 points in the game against Granite
Eighth grader Avery Smith makes a fast break to put the first points on the board for the Eagles. Smith was credited with 16 points and made the only 3-point shot for the Eagles in the game against Granite.
Fifth grader Owen Hoag shoots for two of his eight total points for the Eagles' C team.
Eighth grader Malachi Nicholas takes a jump shot late in the game against Granite. Nicholas made 8 of the Eagles 53 points.
Fifth grader Wyatt Stout pulls down a rebound for the C team in their game against Granite.
Seeley Lake Elementary boys basketball tipped off their season Nov. 7 playing three games against the Granite Prospectors. The Prospectors gave the Eagles a good run in the first two games with the C and B teams, made up of fifth, sixth and seventh-graders, taking both games. However, once the Eagles A squad of seventh and eighth-graders took the court, the Eagles gained control and beat the Prospectors by more than 20 points.
The Eagles are a young team this year, made up of 12 fifth-graders.
"We have got a lot to learn but we have a lot of promise and talent," said Eagles head coach Brett Haines.
Eagles Assistant Coach Joesy Exstrom said that the young players are focusing on mastering the fundamentals including dribbling and off-hand dribbling and understanding how to play defense. The coaches' goal for the C and B squad is remembering their positions and incorporating the new motion offense they have been practicing.
While SLE has the numbers this year, their players are smaller than they have been in previous years. Exstrom added that the motion offense is a more fluid way to play where the players keep moving on the court. If they see a free space, they move to it instead of sticking to strict positions.
"We have some tall guards but we are really small in the post," said Coach Haines. "We are working on being quick, spreading the ball and running it."
C Team (fifth grade) vs. Granite
The Eagles were only able to put 6 points on the board by the end of the first half, with Granite running away with 21 points.
The second half the Eagles were able to be more precise in their passing and the shots were falling. They doubled their score in the third quarter and ended the game with 28 points. This was still not quite enough to catch the Prospectors who ended with 45 points.
Johnny Stout and Owen Hoag were the high scorers for the game with each adding 16 points to the Eagles' score.
Exstrom was proud of the team. "The second half they started to look like they did in practice," said Exstrom. "With only six points at the half, then they made it into a ball game."
B Team (sixth & seventh grade) vs. Granite
The Eagles struggled to put up the shots in the first half of the game scoring only 9 points compared to the Prospectors' 24 points. Despite attempting to rally, both teams doubled their points ending the game 18-48 in favor of the Prospectors.
Hunter Carpenter led the Eagles with 7 points followed closely by Sean Mercado who added 6 points.
A Team (seventh and eighth graders) vs. Granite
Right from the tip off, the Eagles gained control of the ball and never let up. In the first few minutes of the game they put 6 points on the board leaving the Prospectors still searching for the hoop. At the end of the half, the Eagles led 33-7.
The Prospectors wised up to the Eagles' fast-moving game and rallied in the second half adding 22 points to their score. It wasn't enough to stop the Eagles from clutching the win 53-29.
Avery Smith led the Eagles with 16 points; all scored in the first half. Dakota Wood followed him up with 10 points and Owen Mercado and Malachi Nicholas each added 8 for the team.
"We are looking forward to a good season," said Coach Haines. "It's going to be a lot better than anticipated."
Reader Comments(0)