The boys’ basketball team lost to the Kennedy Cavaliers 62-49 on Tuesday night, falling to 0-2 on the season.
While the Cats jumped out to an early lead, the Cavaliers began using a trap defense towards the end of the first quarter, propelling them to a 12-0 run. The defense helped the Cavaliers create turnovers behind halfcourt throughout the game, setting them up for fast-break layups.
“They practice it a lot, and they’re really big and athletic, so if you get caught in any one of those traps, it’s really hard to get out,” junior Will Kreisle said. “When you’re not finding the middle and they’re able to break it, it’s really tough, especially if you get caught in the corner and trapped.”
The Cavaliers outrebounded the Wildcats by a significant margin in the fourth quarter and had multiple offensive rebounds off missed free throws. The second-chance possessions led to many points for the Cavaliers.
“A lot of it is communication because, me and Jake [Forburger], we have the ability to box out, but sometimes, someone doesn’t call the shooter and he just rushes in and gets the rebounds,” senior Ben Cufre said. “It’s definitely fixable. It’s not like a big flaw in our team that I’m worried about.”
The Wildcats had a few chances to move within one score at the end of the game after a three-pointer from junior Will Kreisle, but the team missed crucial shots down the stretch.
“Shots don’t fall sometimes so we just got to keep our heads up,” junior Mike Tedla said.
Senior Jordan Silverstein led the team with 13 points.
The Cavaliers struggled shooting outside the paint in the first half, making one three-pointer on many attempts and missing all five of their free throws in the first half. Their shots began to fall in the second half, and the Cavaliers were 11 for 14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Last Friday, the Cats lost their first game to the Richard Montgomery Rockets 65-62. Freshman Max Raue led the way with 21 points including a double-digit third quarter performance.
The Wildcats look to get their first win of the season tonight at Damascus at 7:15 p.m.
Junior Jake Forburger takes the tip against Kennedy forward Mike Wright. The Cats struggled offensively, going cold from around the arc. The game ended with a final score of 62-49, keeping the Cats winless.
