HURRICANES HIT DRY LAND; FALL 32-27 IN SEASON FINALE

 
 

Pre-game oath

  Saturday, March 5^th - - Even the toughest of Hurricanes can fizzle out once they hit dry land. Despite a thorough game preparation and their typical, scrappy defensive play, the shots just did not drop in for the Hurricanes on the offensive end of the floor in their season finale against the Green team.



Allen:"Look at what I can do"

As Coach Chris would later comment after the game: “The basketball gods were just not on our side today.”

Sometimes a team can do many things right, and still – if the ball doesn't drop in the bucket, the victory will go to the opponent.

The Hurricanes started out freezing cold in the first quarter, on 1 for 17 (just under 6% shooting) from the floor. They were getting good looks at the basket, but the shots would not go in. The first quarter ended in a 10-to-2 deficit.

The Hurricanes appeared to wake up in the second quarter, scoring 7 points, while holding the Greens to only 5 points, to enter into half-time with a score of 15 to 9; only three baskets down.

The third quarter, however, mimicked the first...and the Hurricanes slipped back into their shooting slump, managing only three points for the quarter, all of which came from free throw shots by Allen. Meanwhile, the five inch and 60 pound difference at the center position began to take its toll, as the Green team's center went on a 10 point binge, to carry the Greens to a third quarter lead of 25-to-12.



The fourth quarter demonstrated that even under the toughest circumstances, the Hurricanes have heart, and persistence. Rather than hang their heads in defeat, the pulled together and went on a rampage, outscoring their much larger opponent 13-to-7.

Hurricanes in transition on the attack

The Greens boast the biggest center in the league – the Shaquille O'Neal of the 14U division. Yet he made only 25% of his shots in the final game, which indicates that Hurricane centers Carlos and Michael made him work much harder to acquire his 16 points than in the previous match-up between these two teams. Four of his points came from left side (weak side) spin moves, which is not his forte' nor his preference; and another four of his points came from free throws.



Jordan: 3 rebounds, 2 steals

The Green's traditional leading scorer and superstar redhead (#3) was both visibly and audibly frustrated by the Hurricanes quick and swarming defense on numerous occasions. He also had great difficulty defending against the incessant movement and quickness of the Hurricanes forwards and guards, which was evident in his four fouls.

With their main weapons either slowed down or taken out of commission, the Greens found an unlikely hero in their meek, frail looking back-up guard (#1), who tossed in two unexpected 3-pointers and an additional 2-point shot, to finish the game with 8 points.



Offense was a struggle for the Hurricanes all game long, they owned the defensive realm. Long priding themselves on their incredible defensive efforts, the Hurricanes once again put on a show against a gargantuan opponent whose roster sported a 6'2” giant in the middle and two additional six footers. Given their far superior height and bulk, the Greens (aka Jolly Green Giants) “should have” dominated the boards and both sides of the floor easily...but apparently someone forgot to inform them of that fact, or someone forgot to notify the Hurricanes. As a result, the Hurricanes finished the game with 37 rebounds, 17 steals, and 6 blocked shots. Although it would not be enough to claim the victory, it definitely was more than sufficient to send a message.

While the Hurricanes did not take the game, they did win the last quarter of the last game of their season. They went out in style to finish third in the YMCA 14U division standings, with an overall regular season record of 4 wins, 3 losses.

This season the Hurricanes team returned only three players from the previous season. Nine of the players had never played together before, and two or three of them had never played on a team before. In the first practice, they all looked rusty and most of them looked uncoordinated. The season started out with 1 pre-season and two regular season losses, as the players struggled to discover their roles, learn the game, get into the flow, and come together as a team..

That same, initially clumsy group of young gentlemen suddenly “gelled” in the third game of the regular season, and went on a four game winning spree, culminating in the dethroning of the previously undefeated Panther team, in what would be the most exciting underdog victory game of the whole season for the whole league.

This is a season in which the true victory is not found in the final standings, but in the phenomenal individual and team progress from beginning to end.

A huge CONGRATULATIONS, KUDOS, and THANK YOU to the players for their hard work, great sportsmanship, teamwork, and persistence, which combined to make this a fantastic, exciting and memorable season for the team, the coaches, and the audiences.

The same CONGRATULATION, KUDOS, and THANK YOU to Coach Chris and Coach Quentin for their dedication, hard work, enthusiasm and motivation, which will leave a big imprint and influence on these kids for years to come.

And finally a huge THANK YOU to all of the parents, for allowing your kids to play on the Hurricanes team this season, and for taking the time to support them at the practices and games.



HURRICANES SHOCK PANTHERS IN NAIL-BITER REMATCH, 25-23

Saturday, February 26th -- In a Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed match-up, the Hurricanes took the court in a rematch with the previously undefeated Panthers, against whom the Hurricanes fell in a pre-season game as well as the first game of the season.

Due to an unannounced schedule change in week two, the Hurricanes entered game one a little short-handed, pitting only six players against a full Panther line-up. Although they put forth a valiant effort, they eventually ran out of gas and fell short, as the Panthers pulled away in the fourth quarter for the victory.

Therefore, although they did not take any other game for granted, the Hurricanes eagerly looked forward to and trained hard for the game six rematch.

The Panthers on the other hand, (possibly due to their previous victories) obviously severely underestimated the heart, energy, improvement and determination of the Hurricanes...and it showed.

The first two scoreless, scrappy defense filled minutes of the game should have been an indicator to the Panthers that the Hurricanes were NOT going to cower or lie down and play opossum. 

Although the Panthers struck first with smooth execution resulting in a successful basket on a give-n-go play, the rest of the quarter would be characterized by excruciating defense, board battles, disrupted plays, and steals. Patrick scored two buckets and Michael sank a shot off of a rebound to keep the Hurricanes within one at the end of the first quarter, 7 to 6.

The second quarter would not prove to be any easier. Although the Hurricanes had a tough lineup on the court consisting of Conrad, Patrick, Allen, Carlos, and Jordan, they only managed to get eight shots off, connecting on three of them (2 each for Conrad, Carlos and Allen) plus an additional free throw by Allen, for a half-time score of 15 to 13 in favor of the Panthers.

Perhaps the most entertaining play of the game belonged to Jordan, the smallest player on the Hurricane lineup that day. As Panther star and big-man #9 was taking a shot, Jordan the "Stealth Man" sneaked up behind him, flew through the air, and firmly rejected the shot, causing a wild roar and applause from the stands.

Whatever the coaches said in their counsel to the players at half-time...worked. In the second half, the Hurricanes continued the high intensity and defensive pressure, and offensive opportunities started to open up. Nick and Chandler each hit for two points, and Allen sank a jump shot and a layup, to give the Hurricanes a two point advantage over the Panthers by the end of the third quarter.

Mysteriously and visibly absent from the scoreboard, were 10 or 12 points that Hurricane leading scorer Conrad customarily contributed to the game. By the end of the third quarter, he had scored only scored 2 points, and did not appear to be an offensively aggressive as usual.  When questioned about it after the game, he justified his personal strategy:

"I knew they would concentrate on me, so I decided to focus on dishing the ball out, rebounding and defense."

And THAT he definitely achieved - racking up 8 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and an amazing 10 blocked shots for the game.

The fourth quarter was an all out basketball version of a slug-fest. As they had done all game long, the Panthers continued to own the boards, outrebounding the Hurricanes by an estimated ratio of 3 to 1. But while the Panthers owned the rebounding advantage, the Hurricanes owned the floor, accumulating disrupted play after disrupted play, steal after steal. On offense, although the hurricanes only scored one field goal and two free throw shots for the entire quarter, but they slowed the game down with a passing-oriented strategy, and continued to dominate time of possession.

With two minutes to go, Hurricanes center Carlos turned the ball over, giving the Panthers possession of the ball, and thus, an opportunity to tie the game. Carlos stayed focused and quickly redeemed himself, however, by racing down in transition to make a quick key steal.

Following a time-out, as the clock ticked down to under a minute the Hurricanes still held a 2 point advantage. Patrick put on a dribbling clinic to burn time off the clock. With less than twenty seconds remaining, he attempted a pass to Conrad, which was intercepted by the Panthers' forward #8, who broke away for an a easy layup...that rolled around the rim and dropped outside the bucket, causing a football fumble style scramble for the ball. The Panthers recovered and shot again. Then Conrad stepped in from out of nowhere to steal an attempted Panther pass, and he was immediately fouled with four seconds remaining in the game.

Conrad missed his free throw shot, which bounced off the rim and rolled loose on the floor for nearly two seconds. Panther center #4 recovered the ball and got as far as half court before letting fly with a desperation Hail Mary shot which fell far short of the basket.

Much to the shock, awe, and dismay of the Panther team, coaches, and fans, the end of game whistle blew to a final score of Hurricanes 25, Panthers 23.

The Hurricanes (visibly the smaller and lesser experienced of the two teams) earned the hard-fought and well deserved victory - through hard work, dedication, cohesion, teamwork, persistence, hustle, tenacious defensive strategies, and effective offense. Each player contributed significantly in some way to the victory.

Defense has always been at the forefront of the coaching philosophy and strategies of the Hurricane coaching duo.  During this game the Panthers' star players (who usually each average double digit scoring) were held to a combined 8 points (2 points for #3, 6 points for #9). No individual on the Panthers scored more than 6 points, and the Panthers team was held to 4 points both the 3rd and 4th quarters (only 8 points for the 2nd half).

Kudos to Coach Q and Coach Chris, who have meticulously analyzed the team's performances, strengths and weaknesses after every game, and made the necessary adjustments during the practices.

During the closing huddle of the last practice, the coaches went over their strategy for the game against the Panthers; loading up Patrick and Allen with the task of stopping Panther star point guard #3, and tagging Michael and Carlos with stopping the star center (#9). Conrad was to play a floating defender role, assisting whenever and wherever needed as reinforcement...for closing gaps, double teams, etc. It would be up to Jordan, Chandler, and Daniel to shut down the other Panther players - which would be no easy task given the size and strength advanage of the Panthers.

The coaches provided final words of encouragement at the close of practice:

"We can beat that team...they don't know how much you guys have improved...this team can beat any team out there if you guys put your minds to it...focus...we believe in you."

With one game remaining, the Hurricanes have a distant shot at a tie for 1st place (if the Panthers lose their final game), and a strong shot at 2nd place (if the Hurricanes win their final game).

But regardless of the final standings at the end of the season, nobody can take away the outstanding, exciting, memorable, underdog victory that the Hurricanes pulled off on Saturday, February 26th against the Panthers. It was the type game on which movies are based, and it will be remembered and talked about for many years to come.

HURRICANES WIN 3RD IN A ROW!!!

Hurricanes Drench Team Six, 25-20

Saturday, February 12, 2011 -- Despite two slow middle quarters offensively, the Hurricanes pulled together in the fourth quarter to ride out a victory over an evenly matched Team Six on Saturday.
 

Hurricane fast break

 The Hurricanes started the game out strong but cautious, shooting 4 for 8 from the floor, passing effectively, and displaying their trademark tight quick-handed defense, as exhibited by Daniel, who returned from a week-long virus to snag a key rebound and hold his man scoreless in throughout the quarter.

Daniel returned to the floor
to hold his oppontent
scoreless

        
 

Jordan with a key grab

 Team Six  set out from the beginning to prove that they could compete both offensively and defensively, putting on an impressive passing show of their own, and consistently throwing a half court trap at the Hurricane guards.



Allen on the run

 In the second quarter, Team Six began to chip away at the Hurricane momentum and lead, forcing a few key turnovers, holding the Hurricanes to 2 points (1 for 8 shots from the floor), and pulling within three points at half time, 13-10.
 

Michael vying for a rebound


If the second quarter was bad for the Hurricanes, the third quarter was a nightmare, as Team Six continued to set up wall after wall, and the Hurricane shots continued to bounce off the rim and the backboard (1 for 16 = 6.25% from the floor).


Nick stifles Team Six's offense

MUCH to the Hurricanes' credit, it was only their shots that weren not on target...they continued to protect the ball and pass the ball well, and their defense held Team Six to 5 points, behind Nick's blocked shot, assist, and 2 rebounds, bringing the third quarter to a close in a 15-15 tie.

Quick transition:  Conrad with an outlet pass to Carlos

As is their custom, the Hurricanes turned up the heat in the fourth quarter, and regained momentum behind a key 3-pointer by Conrad, and two buckets from Patrick, who finished the night with 5 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists. 

Carlos:  Shutting down the
big men

The Hurricanes' shooting improved to 45% (5 of 11 from the floor) in the fourth quarter, as their defense clearly frustrated Team Six's key players.  Although the shots weren't dropping for Hurricane centers Carlos and Michael, the tag-team in the middle held their counterparts to four points, blocked out Team Six's big men from the paint, and grabbed timely rebounds to help maintain the Hurricanes' momentum. Hurricane guards Jordan and Allen combined  for 3 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 broken up plays.


Conrad with a key 4th quarter 3-pointer


The Hurricanes increased the distance of their lead just enough to absorb the 4 point run of Team Six during the last minute of the fourth quarter, finally closing the game with a 25-20 victory.



Video Clips from Game 3 (Courtesy of Dan and Vicki Gonzales)

                         

Hurricanes Overwhelm Team One for First Victory, 43-24

 

Pregame Oath

Saturday, February 5^th, 2011 - The Hurricanes entered the game shy one Coach (Coach Quentin) and two players (Chandler and Daniel).



Chris - working his way out of a trap

Hurricane center Carlos took the reigns in the first quarter, attacking the paint and rattling off five points. Accompanied by Allen, Patrick, Conrad and Michael, the Hurricanes appeared as if they would steamroll Team One, rounding off the quarter with a 10-0 lead.

Nick pulling up for a 2-pointer (Chris in the background)
(Photo courtesy of Dan & Vicki
Gonzales)

Basketball is a game of hot and cold streaks, however, and in the second quarter Team One brandished a secret weapon of its own in the form of number 8; a stocky center-forward with a quick first step to the hoop. Although Patrick put forth an honorable defensive effort, number eight was able to sink 9 points in the second quarter. While the Hurricanes’ shooting went cold (2 for 13 for the quarter), Team One’s offense caught fire, pulling within one point, 14-13. Were it not for a key rebound by Chris, and a couple of hard-earned buckets by Patrick and Nick, the Hurricanes would have faired much worse at the half-way point. 


 

During half-time, the question rising question to be answered was: “Who on the Hurricanes could stop number 8?”

Jordan positioning for the rebound



After a quick lessons-learned pep talk by Coach Chris, the Hurricanes returned to the floor with an increased sense of intensity.  In game three, Allen (Hurricanes point guard) played a relatively cautious game on offense, attempting only two shots the whole game…but that was the Allen of old.  In the third quarter of game four, Allen put on a clinic; dribbling, dancing, bobbing, weaving, and firing up 8 unanswered points in a row.  He would go on to finish the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists.



Conrad - shutting down #5
(Photo courtesy of Dan & Vicki
Gonzales)



Complemented by four points from Conrad, two points from Michael, a rebound and steal from Jordan, the Hurricanes presented Coach Chris with a 28-16 lead after three quarters.

Recalling the second quarter comeback by Team One, the Hurricanes took nothing for granted going into the fourth quarter, and retook the floor with the same level of intensity the displayed in the third quarter.



  

Team One came out swinging and aiming to make a statement early on.  Dreaded number #8 split the defense to score two quick points, and followed up on subsequent possessions with clean passes to his power forward (#5) who was open under the basket for two easy layups. Number 8 also swatted an attempted layup by Conrad on the opposite end of the court.  It appeared for moment that Team 1 was on its way to another comeback…but appearances can sometimes be deceiving.

Carlos with a teardrop jumper



Patrick setting up the offense
(Photo courtesy of Dan & Vicki
Gonzales)



Perhaps slightly uncomfortable with Allen’s third quarter offensive show, Team One turned their focus toward cranking up the defensive heat on Allen in the fourth quarter.  With the poise of a professional, Allen took advantage of that opportunity to deliver three assists in a row to Conrad, who went on a 12 point scoring spree to finish the game with 18 points, 9 rebounds.  Perhaps Conrad’s most worthy achievement of the game was found on the defensive end of the floor, where he held #8 to only 4 points in the fourth quarter, and repaid the Team One star with a blocked shot of his own, thereby proving that “the Hurricanes can play that too!”

Allen - driving for 2 of his 10 points
(Photo courtesy of Dan & Vicki
Gonzales)

Meanwhile, Carlos dropped in two points, and Patrick shut down #5 for the remainder of the quarter, while tossing in a free throw himself. 

When the referee’s whistle blew, the score read Hurricanes 43, Team One 24.

For the game, the Hurricanes shot 36% from the floor (a 6% improvement over their previous average), and turned the ball over only 9 times (14 times less than their previous average).  Their defense, passing game and communication on the floor were visibly much improved.

The Hurricanes face Team 6 on Saturday, February 12^th, at 3:00PM.

Hurricanes Dissipate in Heartbreaking Second Half Comeback, 36-30

 

Nick prepares to pass to Jordan in the post. Left: Allen, Middle: Michael, Right: Chandler.
(Photo courtesy of Dan and Vicki Gonzales)



Saturday, January 29^th – The Hurricanes a sixteen point third quarter deficit to pull within four points of Team 5 on Saturday, before falling shy of victory in a game that ended with a score of 36-30.

Sporting two 6 footers at center, Team 5 hit the floor running and proficiently executing an effective passing game, utilizing the low post position to account for 8 of their first 12 points. Initially it appeared as if the Hurricanes would not be able to stop the bleeding.  But a time out makes all the difference, and once Hurricane Center Carlos figured out the most effective positioning against the bigger opposing centers, Team 5’s task became much more challenging.



Nick works the ball inside. Far left: Chandler, Middle: Jordan,
Right: Michael.
(Photo courtesy of Dan and Vicki Gonazales)



Early on Daniel set the tone with a key rebound and steal, while Conrad and Patrick teamed up to chip away at the opposing defense.  The first squad shots did not seem to be dropping in, however, and as the first quarter ended, the scorecard marked a 12 to 8 lead in favor of Team 5.

With the exception of a sweet jump shot by Nick in the second quarter, the Hurricanes’ cold streak continued, making only 1 of 13 shots the floor. Were it not for the extreme hustle on defense, the Hurricanes would have been even further behind than the 22 to 10 halftime score indicated.

In the second half, it became anybody’s game, as the Hurricanes valiantly fought back,

With Nick pouring in four more points and Michael hitting a shot from just inside the three point line, while Allen pounded away at the opposing defense with quick dribbling drives, and Jordan frustrated the opposing offense with several interrupted passes which he tipped away out of bounds.

The Hurricanes finally found their rhythm in the fourth quarter, cranking up the defensive intensity, and pounding the paint with drives to the hoop.  The fourth quarter squad sank 6 of 11 shots from the field, and 2 of 4 free throws, to pull the game within four points with 2 minutes to go.  Unfortunately, a few too many Hurricane turnovers in the remaining minutes combined with Team 5’s total of 4 fourth quarter points, was enough to barely eek out a victory for Team 5.



Michael sets a screen for Nick to fire off two of his six points. 
(Photo courtesy of Dan and Vicki Gonzales)



Offensively for the Hurricanes, turnovers and offensive rebounds continue to be areas for improvement, as well as developing an inside game.

Defensively, positioning oneself between the opponent and the basket will be key to preventing easy inside jumpshots, layups, and rebounds by the opponents.

Overall, this was a very strong Hurricane effort, as they tallied up: 30 points, 34 rebounds, 10 steals, 8 assists and 9 blocked shots. The players are getting to know each other better on the court, which is evident in their passing game and increased communication on the floor.  Many exciting games lie ahead.

The next opponent is Team 1 on Saturday, February 5^th, at 9AM.