Tuesday night hoops, ladies and gentlemen, is just about the best theater you can come by these days. Even with the rough economy, fans came out in droves to see Bremerton West's first road game at The Matt against favored M&I Bank. The upper deck, as witnessed by the author, was standing room only. The game played out much like the Westies' season opener, with the team falling into an early hole. There was little rhythm to the game from the outset.
"We got an okay start. We had shots. We missed them, but they helped us by turning the ball over so much. There was a time when it seemed like we were playing free-throw line to free-throw line, with the loose balls and all," head coach Matt Sargent said.
The halftime break saw the Westies down only 3, at 17-14. It would be a key defensive adjustment that would spark the second come-from-behind victory of the season. "Burke suggested switching Reddell and Rothchild in the zone. Reddell can bang for rebounds. He likes to mix it up, whereas Roth has more of a guard's mentality; he's not accustomed to finding someone to box out on every shot," Coach said.
Dave Plous, signed between weeks one and two, heavily impacted the outcome of the game, scoring at will inside, and dishing out 4 assists. "I feel like I could have made a few more," he said, "but I feel good about the team effort in getting the win, overall. I haven't been on the winning side of the scoreboard in nearly two years!"
The back-and-forth game tested the wills of each of Bremerton's players, none more than newcomer Alex Carr. Carr sank a wide-open 3-point basket off a Nick Reddell dime to give the Westies a lead they would never relinquish, at 28-26. Thrice in the final minute of regulation, West had a chance to ice the game with a series of one-and-one free throw attempts. All three front-ends missed the mark. However, after the first miss, "LCF13" Plous tipped the ball out top to retain possession. "We definitely need to work on the charity stripe," Reddell quipped after the game.
The last-ditch efforts from M&I were several. A missed three-pointer stuck on the rim allowed the Bank to retain possession after a textbook defensive stand by visiting Bremerton. "They take a closely-guarded three," Coach said afterwards, "and it's way off, and I'm yelling, 'Short!' and it sticks. Hill, Plous, and Reddell really rebounded well tonight. We wiped the glass clean, man. That's the way we do it - ugly but effective wins."
Brief notes: Plous paced the team with 10 points. Roth added 6, Sargent and Reddell finished with 5, Carr 3, and Burke and Hill both with 2. Rebounds: Hill 7, Burke 7, Plous 6, Reddell 5, Roth 2, Carr 2, Sargent 2.
Bremerton West plays at Turner Construction next Tuesday, January 27th, at 9:30PM at The Matt.
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