The Chemainus Cougars midget boys basketball team had a lethargic return in its first game action of the new year.
The Cougars were beaten 78-34 by Sunrise Waldorf Jan. 9 at Chemainus Secondary School.
“Despite our recent practices which centred around good defensive positioning and techniques, the execution and compete level was missing,” noted Graeme Arkell, co-coach of the team along with athletic director Casey Parsons. “Waldorf outworked us with their speed on numerous fast breaks and cycled the ball around well for some good looks.
“It seemed as though there were nerves throughout our lineup as players were reluctant to crash the boards for rebounds and cut toward the hoop. Casey and I are believers in giving all the players playing time. As they continue to gain experience through games and practices, their skills will grow.”
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For now, there’s little ball movement offensively from the guys, other than passing it into the hands of Tyler Harvath or Owen Jaggers. The two combined for 24 points.
Jaggers has begun to use his height to advantage by jumping high to secure rebounds and going up with the ball in the paint, Arkell pointed out. He drew a few fouls in the process and capitalized on most of his free throws while scoring 14 points.
Harvath continued to lead by example with his determined drives to the hoop and scored 10 points.