Boys basketball looks to rebound
Team tries to rebound from early season losses to Oviedo and Timber Creek
photo by Faith Marino
Foward Tyler Pate attempts to rebound a ball against an Oviedo off ender. The team would lose that game, 52-72.
Missed free throws, blocked lay-ups, poor shots—after an 0-3 start to the regular season, including a loss to Oviedo, the boys’ basketball team was looking for solutions.
The team had to change the scoring dynamic after losing three seniors and a leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh, who transferred to Lake Highland Prep. They have incorporated more ball movement and encouraged shooting, rather than running isolation plays like they did last season.
Regardless of Sensabaugh’s departure, head coach Josh Kohn knows that it will not have any bearing on how they will score throughout the year.
“We aren’t changing the offense at all,” Kohn said. “Someone will step up and score.”
Guard Jah Nze has been a focus of the team’s offense, averaging 23 points per game and seven rebounds per game.
Forward Tyler Pate has also made key contributions to the offense, averaging 12 points per game, and Paolo Raymundo leads the team in assists, averaging seven per game.
“The team is making plays and attacking, so I am able to draw the defense away to help my teammates get an open shot,” Raymundo said.
The season opened with a six-game road stretch against Apopka, Timber Creek, Oviedo, Lake Howell, Lake Highland Prep and St. Cloud. They dropped the first game against Apopka, 67-43 and another against Timber Creek, 71-68.
Head coach Josh Kohn identified the issues after the loss to Oviedo, 52-72, and the team made the changes necessary to beat Lake Howell 66-58 and St. Cloud 69-51.
“We have added more offensive plays,” Kohn said. “We needed to have patience in order to score.”
The team is also trying to find their rhythm on the free throw line. After going 9-19 from the line against Timber Creek, and 5-18 against Oviedo, they shot 15-20 from the line against Lake Howell and 17-22 against St. Cloud.
“It’s obvious that we win more games when we shoot good from the line,” Kohn said.
Other than the Timber Creek loss, the other losses were by a large margin, but guard Gerold Manderville believes that it will all come around soon and the team will start making big strides.
“We played those first games nervous and scared,” Manderville said. “We got some new guys this year, so we just need better chemistry and keep playing.”
The game at St. Cloud has been the best game for the team as of late, with Nze putting up a season high 36 points and Pate scoring 16.
“As a group we all brought something that stirred momentum for us,” Nze said. “Working as a team really builds that.”
After the break, the team will take on Lake Howell and Lake Mary on Jan. 7 and 8.
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