U15 Boys Kick Summer off with a Tough Test

In a normal basketball season, eight practices is just a drop in the bucket. It is normally not close to enough time to install a new system and have that system tested against competition. The Basketball Alberta U15 Boys team is anything but normal. Saturday, May 30, the U15 Boys took on the U17 Junior Griffins, a team largely made of members of last year's 4A 5th place team: Archbishop O'Leary. The Junior Griffins were big, athletic, and well coached.
O'Leary used their size and offensive sets to out score Basketball Alberta by over ten points in the first five minutes of the game. With this onslaught, it could have been very easy for BA to throw in towel. These young men did something that very few teams can do when facing a bigger, more athletic, and skilled opponent: they played better. Over the next quarter and a half, the U15 boys played harder, more aggressive defense. They played unselfish offense, and they outworked their opponents, cutting a 17 point lead to four at half time.

The second half started with a back and forth battle for the first five minutes as neither team was able to separate from the other. At the end of the 3rd quarter, however, the physicality and experience of O'Leary came into play. They went on a 18-3 run over the next eight minutes, building a 20 point lead with six minutes to go in the game. BA played hard and never gave up, but could not overcome that run late in the game. O'Leary ended up taking the game 75-59.

Overall, there were a number of very positive things that came from this first game. First, the team was able to compete at a high level with a very good team. Second, there were a number of individuals that stepped up and showed a level of play that hadn't been seen in practice. Finally, the team was able to apply the offensive and defensive schemes much better than anticipated.

The U15 boys continue their "Road to Nationals" in two weeks in Calgary where they will take a few more steps towards growing closer as a team and reaching their potential.