By Jim Pruitt
For one half, the Chelsea varsity boys basketball team looked like it had found its basketball legs, but reality struck in the second half.
It didn’t matter in the end as the Bulldogs pounded Tecumseh 62-32 in an SEC White Division match-up Dec. 18.
The Indians hung in with the Bulldogs for the first three minutes of the game, trailing 6-5 with 5:02 left in the first period before Chelsea went on 12-0 run to build a 13-point lead with a minute left.
Chelsea (3-0 overall, 1-0 SEC White) kept up the pressure in the second period building up a 20-point lead with 2:08 left in the half, holding Tecumseh scoreless for more than 5 minutes.
“We shot the three extremely well in the first half,” coach Josh Tropea said. “We made five 3’s.
“We got up and down the floor pretty well,” he said.
Tropea thought if his team played well, they would win, but did not expect a blowout. He anticipated a closer game, more like a 45-35 final.
“I expected a kind of slugfest, more of a slower pace,” Tropea said. “I was surprised we were able to get out and run as fast as were.
“I thought they would try to slow us down more and they really didn’t.”
In the second half, the effects of a shortened preseason caused by the football team’s historic run, became obvious as Chelsea struggled at the free throw line and could not build a consistent offensive attack.
“We were short on our 3’s, we missed a lot of free throws,” Tropea said. “It’s tired legs; we are not a bad free-throwing team, just tired.”
The Bulldogs were clearly the better team, so on sheer talent alone they limited the Indians to 16 second-half points in the last two periods. They made nine 3-pointers, but were only 11 of 26 from the line.
Chelsea was led by Cam Cooper with 13 points and Trevor Kingsley with 10. Tecumseh’s Zach Watkins led all players with 14 points. The Indians made only two shots from beyond arc and made 8 of 14 free throws.
So entering the holiday break at 3-0 leaves Tropea feeling good, but he knows his players have to find their legs in the next couple of weeks. That means a week of practice at home before venturing to North Carolina Dec. 27 for a special trip.
The team will be spending a week in Raleigh, North Carolina, attending games at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State and visit Duke University plus play some paintball and practice.
“It’s going to be an incredible team-bonding experience,” Tropea said. “The kids are very excited; it’s going to be an incredible experience for our team.”
Looking over the first three games, Tropea is pleased with his team’s defense and rebounding, although the Bulldogs had a weak third quarter on the boards. He likes the way his team shares the ball.
“The only negative is we are not in shape yet,” Tropea said. “It’s because we haven’t had the time to do that yet. We’ve been focusing on preparing for the games, not running the kids.”
Tropea said he was pleased with the play off the bench of Bryce Jubenville and Brady Friss.
“They for the first time all year gave us some incredible energy and scoring,” Tropea said. “Bryce hit a big three, Brady had a huge block.
“They are a kind of X factor we see at practice, we haven’t seen at games yet. When they become that kind of factor on a consistent basis, we go from a good to a very good to a great team with those two guys.”
Chelsea will need the next two weeks to get in shape, because they face three road games the first week they are back in school in January.
Tecumseh 9 (2) 8-14 32; Chelsea Alex Vasquez 2 0-0 4, Ethan French 2 (1) 2-6 9, Trevor Kingsley 1 (2) 2-2 10, Cameron Cooper 5 (1) 0-0 13, Devin Hewitt 0 2-4 2, Ben Kaemming 0 2-4 2, Bryce Jubenville 0 (2) 1-2 7, Ryan Mitchell 0 (2) 0-1 6, Chris Roush 0 1-2, 1, Brady Friss 1 (1) 1-4 6, Collin Steinhauer 1 0-0 2. Total 12 (9) 11-26 62
Score by quarters:
Tecumseh 10- 6- 5-11: 32
Chelsea 19-13-13-17: 62
