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Shawnigan pressures Cougars into fast learning environment

Inexperienced basketball squad faces full court press
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Coach Casey Parsons illustrates some pointers for the Chemainus players. (Photo by Don Bodger)

It’s a work in progress.

The mostly inexperienced Chemainus Cougars junior boys basketball team is slowly figuring out the intricacies of the game from coach Casey Parsons.

The Cougars were forced to advance their skills in a hurry during a game against Shawnigan Lake School last Thursday at Chemainus Secondary School. It was a baptism by fire for the players when faced immediately with a full court press.

“Shawnigan was an experienced team that played hard,” noted Parsons. “They pressed us until the end of the game and fell back into a 2-3 zone each defensive possession. It was a steep learning curve for most our players as many of them had never faced either a press or zone defence before. As a result, we made a lot of poor passes and turned the ball over too many times.

“That being said, I thought our guys did a great job of not giving up, and encouraging one another, rather than pointing fingers. In the second half, we seemed to settle our nerves a bit, and managed to create several nice drive and kick scoring opportunities. All 12 players checked into the game and got some playing time.”

The eventual 54-19 loss was less important than the huge development that occurred over the course of just the one game.

Titus Kennedy and Jordan Allinott accounted for the bulk of the scoring with 10 and seven points, respectively, for Chemainus. Allinott hit a three-pointer for the second straight game.

Cyler Wilson chipped in with two points on a nice mid-range jumper late in the game.

Shawnigan opened up a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes on the strength of its press. The lead got to 13-0 before Allinott scored Chemainus’ first two points and the quarter ended 19-2 for Shawnigan.

Things settled down defensively for Chemainus in the second quarter and Shawnigan went 3 1/2 minutes before scoring its first basket of the quarter. But the Cougars still couldn’t get anything going offensively and trailed 27-2 at halftime.

The third quarter brought Allinott’s three-pointer plus five points from Kennedy that left the score at 41-10 heading into the home stretch.

The Cougars play their first away game of the season at Queen Margaret’s School Thursday, Dec. 15.


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don.bodger@chemainusvalleycourier.ca

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Ryan Redfern snags a rebound for the Cougars. (Photo by Don Bodger)
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Titus Kennedy controls the ball and looks to set up the Chemainus offense. (Photo by Don Bodger)
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Titus Kennedy concentrates on his foul shot in Thursday’s game against Shawnigan Lake. (Photo by Don Bodger)


Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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