First place Carleton Ravens too much for York Lions
Brendan Rowe
Staff Writer
There was frustration in the air last Friday night, the sixth of January, as our York Lions lost 54-90 to the Carleton Ravens, in a game that was unbelievably unsatisfying for both the fans and the players. The currently first-place Ravens didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lions were down 24 to 11. When the Lions weren’t missing shots, they were fouling it up and giving away free points.
The second quarter was devastating, with turnovers and several missed passes. York just couldn’t keep the ball. Crisp passes went out of bounds without going near a player, players clashed in strange collisions, and balls continuously flew into the middle of the court for an easy Carleton recovery.
The third quarter had more travelling than the local airline. Every time the Lions moved the ball through the key, or even around it, a whistle was blown and the ball moved back the other way down the court. The Ravens took advantage of this, running their half-court offence with Philip Scrub, leading all scoring with 17 points.
By the conclusion of the fourth quarter, making up the difference was an impossible feat. York didn’t make many mistakes this quarter, they just couldn’t make enough baskets to catch up the 34-point advantage held by Carleton since the beginning of the second half. The Ravens kept up the pressure and played their game.
In the end, the game came down to execution, or lack thereof. Our plays were working well, our defence was fine. York was able to work the ball around, but could not convert on their offensive opportunities, while the Ravens continued to relentlessly score.
That fact is clear when looking at the game statistics. Carleton was making 30 to 40 per cent of their shots and three-pointers; York was making 25 per cent. Carleton made 75 per cent of their free throws; York made 65 per cent. York was called for travelling whenever they got the ball; Carleton, only a few times.
The game could have been predicted in the warmup. Carleton was making all their practice shots; York was making almost none.
The tension rose with every passing minute as York failed to execute time and time again. Something needs to change if we ever want to get out of last place.
Maybe, just maybe, if our team does nothing but practice free throws and shots for the rest of the year, we might put some points on the board. Then we might be able to actually win a game.
It’s something we’ve been looking forward to the entire season.
