Some teams are smarter than others.
The Panther boys used their growing basketball intelligence to
take down a talented Conifer team on at home on Dec. 1. The 65-61
Woodland Park win gave the team its second victory in as many
nights, and a 2-0 start to the season.
The team’s overall athleticism is allowing it to create new
strengths on the court. An awareness of those assets has made the
Panthers sharper, mentally and physically.
“They’re starting to understand more how the game needs to
progress,” Gustafson said of his players. “Like early on, we want
to try to get some easy layups and make them adjust. Then as the
game goes on, as they try and adjust to layups, maybe we can hit
some 3’s.”
This tactic went according to plan against the Lobos, a squad
full of shooters. Woodland Park jumped out to a 15-5 lead after one
period of play, creating points in transition by getting to the
basket.
“We like to run the ball,” senior center/forward Chad Young
said. “Sometimes we get a little nervous when we’re in the
half-court (offense) and have a lot of turnovers, so when we get
out and run it really gets us up.”
Conifer adjusted its defense, forcing the Panthers to run a
half-court offense. The Lobos took a two-point advantage to the
locker room at the half.
Some halftime adjustments led Woodland Park back to the surging
offense of the first quarter. While last season’s team might have
lost this game, the Panther boys now have the confidence to use
their skills more fluently.
“In the years past we were young and had trouble bouncing back,”
senior guard Jay Gromelski said. “After halftime we just came right
back and socked it to them.”
Toward the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth,
Woodland Park’s sense of taking high percentage shots and drawing
fouls gave it the upper hand.
“When you get late – and this is what happened for us – they try
to really bring out the pressure and contest your shots and you can
drive, get some shots in the paint,” Gustafson said. “That’s what
really saved us in the fourth quarter, is guys being able to
drive.”
Where Conifer depended on jump shots, the Panthers know they
must find other ways to win.
“We’ve been working on that all summer, all season,” Gromelski
said. “Just to not rely on the 3’s so much.”
The team’s expanding faith in itself allows it to stay
aggressive on offense.
“It’s not like we’ve told them to stop shooting,” Gustafson
said. “I think a lot of that is just confidence.”
A sense of certainty is also making the team tougher in a
primarily man defense.
“The reason the coaches want us to play man is because we’re
conditioning so hard in practice,” Gromelski said. “We know that
we’re probably one of the best in-shape teams, so I think we can
keep that aggressive play.”
The top Lobo scorer – senior Jeff Dolan – was limited to four
field goals and four free throws. Communication from every Woodland
Park player on the defensive end gave junior forward Pete
Fitzgerald a support system in stopping Dolan.
“Peter Fitzgerald really helped us out,” Gustafson said.
“(Dolan) we knew would be a good player and Pete did a great job on
him. That long reach, just contesting that shot and making him earn
it goes a long way.”