By Kyle Botermans

12/18/2015

 

Heading into their second week of action, the Phoenix Pirate’s men’s basketball team was looking to survive without a top performer and natural leader: Angel Sauceda. In the loss to Ashland, Sauceda dislocated his shoulder which will keep him sidelined for a couple weeks. Their next contest against Siuslaw produced their first win of the season with a 55-38 victory. Though trailing early, the Pirates rallied in the second quarter to take the lead by halftime. A 15-0 run gave the team momentum heading into the second half. By utilizing a swarming defense and efficient offense, the Pirates managed to extend the lead despite a clear height disadvantage. Guards Colton Beer, Thomas Skaff and James Turnbull led the way in terms of scoring with 10+ points each.  Mase Masalosalo continued to grind from the post position and rack up the rebounds to energize a team that has been lacking excitement in recent seasons.

Following the win, the Pirates prepared for the Phoenix Invitational, a tournament held on their home court. Their first game came on Thursday against Lakeview, but the team wasn’t able to capitalize in the long-run. Though a close game to the finish, a slow start in the first and third quarters doomed the boys in the end. Shooting 41% from the field, it wasn’t missing shots that hurt, but instead the defense just couldn’t hold on long enough. Kyle Botermans led the team in points and rebounds with 15 and 5 respectively. Drake Knowles gathered 4 points, while Turnbull managed 5 and Masalosalo 6. The 36-44 loss was a disappointment in some respects, but overall the team competed well to the end. The positive outlook and hustle has been a lacking aspect recently, but establishing this mindset even in a loss proves the team’s dedication to improvement. One crucial development from the game was yet another loss of players. Junior guards James Turnbull and Thomas Skaff would both be unavailable for upcoming games within the tournament.

A completely different team showed up for the Pirates the succeeding game against Taft High School. Defense for the Pirates was virtually non-existent as the team gave up a whopping 80 points in a poor effort. Taft’s swarming defense smothered the Pirates and took advantage of the situation with Turnbull, Skaff and Sauceda unavailable to play point guard for the game. Instead, Ricardo Sabino was thrown into the position and was constantly trapped by multiple defenders. Overall, he performed decently in a role he’s unfamiliar with and throughout the season won’t be expected to play. He had his fair share of turnovers, but continued to push through adversity. Kevin Botermans in his varsity debut led the team with 7 points in extended playing time during the fourth quarter. The final score turned out to be 31-80 in the end, but even this lopsided score doesn’t reflect the struggles of the night. Recovering from such a painful loss often proves to be a turning point in a season; either negative or positive. The Pirates were going to have to strive to return to their form they demonstrated in their win over Siuslaw in order to reestablish respect.

Unfortunately, the Pirates weren’t able to utilize the learning experience from Taft as they came out flat in their last contest of the Phoenix Invitational against Cascade Christian. The boys only accounted for 4 points in the first half and were held scoreless through the entire first quarter. At this point, a comeback seemed unlikely with an already difficult 29-4 disadvantage at the break. Luckily, adjustments to game plan, personnel and mindset allowed for the team to come out with a surge in the second half. In fact, the Pirates outscored Cascade Christian in the third quarter and wound up outscoring them in the entire second half as well. Kyle Botermans gathered all 10 of his points in the second half to give the team a spark to feed off of. Turnbull, back in action, scored 6 while Masalosalo (despite some unlucky roles) managed 4 points in the game. When all was said and done, the 29-52 loss ended what was a forgettable tournament for the Pirates; however, ending the tournament with such a strong push in their final minutes potentially gives the team some momentum moving forward. When guys like Angel Sauceda, Cole George and Thomas Skaff can finally get back onto the court, the Pirates will see their hard work pay off.