By Ted Waddell
HANCOCK — January 20, 2006 – If you hang around the station, you’re going to miss the bus.
In Wednesday night’s physical Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI basketball game between the host Falcons of The Family Foundation School and the Chapel Field Lions, the visitors edged the home team 72-60 in a game that hinged on a couple of key buckets and the Falcons learning that you’ve got to make a rapid transition from offense to defense.
If you don’t make that quick adjustment from “O” to “D,” you’re going to miss the proverbial bus.
The Lions surged to a 13-7 lead in the first quarter on the heels of a six-point opening run.
In the second period, the scoring was evenly matched at 15-15. But Chapel Field enjoyed a 28-22 advantage at halftime.
Chapel Field (4-5, 3-0 Division VI) outpaced The Family School 27-19 in the third period. And as the Falcons tried to make a late comeback, they outpaced the Lions 19-17 in the final quarter.
At the 5:34 mark in the third period, The Family School (9-4, 2-2 Div. VI) tied it up 30-30, but at the close of the frame, the Falcons found themselves trailing by 14 points (55-41).
In the fourth quarter, The Family School’s Chris Berra made a 3-point shot, cutting Chapel Field’s lead to a single point. But then the Lions went on a run, a scoring spree that Family School Coach Ted Towsley considered the turning point in the hard-fought battle on the boards.
During the intermission, Family School cheerleader Mike A. Zoltek and Chapel Field cheerleader Katie Oskam “raced” each other in a half court contest to see who was better in a belly-to-the-floor race that resembled a couple of slithering snakes or a chiropractor’s delight.
Double-digit scorers for Chapel Field included Daryl Gross, who had a game-high 27 points, Jordan Christie (19 points) and Andrew Lopez (11 points).
Andrew Van Riper led the Falcons’ offense with 19 points, while Ben Laufer netted 12 points.
“It was a physical game, which I knew coming in here,” said Chapel Field Coach Joe Canazon. “These guys are very physical and you’ve got to match up with them… they outhustled us in the end, and I got in my team’s face.”
Canazon said The Family School crashed the boards, at times stacking the glass with four hoopsters against a lone Lion.
“We couldn’t keep them off the boards… but our fast break and press gave us that 12-point swing,” he said.
“They have a great defense, so I figured we had to get it there while we were in transition,” Canazon added.
Towsley said that at first his team’s man-to-man threw off the opposition, but once Chapel Field adjusted, “Gross absolutely killed us, and we didn't have an answer for him… he was in with 27 points.”
After Berra’s 3-pointer and the Lions’ answering run, the Falcons never really got back in the game, although in the final minutes they shaved the Lions 20-point lead to 10.
“We didn’t quit, and I’m proud of our guys,” Towsley said.