Alumni squeak by stubborn Mariner varsity squad
• Size, strength and a very deep bench give elders 59-58 edge
By Sean Pearson
Homer Tribune
HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson - Sophomore Devon Kennelty goes up for the block against a former Homer player during Saturday’s game between the Mariner varsity squad and the alumni. The alumni brought a deep bench, and rotated players throughout the game to remain fresh. They edged the current varsity squad 59-58.
Down by two points with seconds remaining, the M’s tried a long inbound pass to 6-foot-7-inch center Devon Kennelty. It almost worked.
“I called my last timeout with 10 seconds to go, and designed a play for them on the whiteboard,” Homer Head Coach Mark Casseri said. “They executed it well, and we got the shot we wanted – it just didn’t fall.”
Still, the M’s wound up with one more chance.
“Dyllan Day got fouled with just a couple seconds left. He walked up and confidently sunk the first shot, and then looked over at me,” Casseri said. “I nodded at him to just let the ball kiss off the front of the rim. He did, but the ball fell to the alumni side of the basket instead of the Kennelty side.”
Despite the one-point loss, Casseri said he was very pleased with how his team played against the larger alumni squad.
“They are playing fantastic basketball and really listening to each other on the court,” Casseri said. “We practice fundamentals and communication every day, so I think that’s starting to pay off.”
The young team continues to develop on the court, as the men’s basketball program continues to develop overall.
“We still have 43 young men out here wanting to play basketball,” Casseri said. “We’re wanting everyone to get some playing time in, and are working to schedule in some more C-team games to get them more experience on the floor.”
The varsity M’s head to Skyview next Tuesday for a conference match-up against the Stars, before heading north again to take on Kenai that Friday night. They return home Saturday, Jan. 9, to face the Seward Seahawks at 4:15 p.m. at Alice Witte Gymnasium.
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Posted by Newsroom on Dec 30th, 2009 and filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Posted by Newsroom on Dec 30th, 2009 and filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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