8th Grade Blue-May 7

YBA Xtreme Blue vs. Sutter   

Saturday 5/7/11 YBA won.  YBA came out solid and at times played solid fundamental basketball. YBA failed to maintain this intensity and solid play throughout all 4 quarters of the contest.  Defensively we were a little too porous allowing the offensive opponent to beat us with their first step and our teammates neither hedged nor stopped the ball…instead with stagnant feet we would reach from behind with little success resulting in a clear path to the basket for our opponent.  Offensively we became stagnant and passive and did not maintain offensive intensity throughout the game nor did we continue to aggressively attack the basket which is what gave us an early advantage.  This was a win but the margin of victory should have been larger with better execution both offensively and defensively which got us in game 2 and game 3. Keys for improvement from this game: rebounding, offensive execution, help side defense and defensive rotation, aggressively attacking the basket on offense for 4 quarters. 

• Defense player of the game:    none            
• Offense player of the game:    Ryan Forrest
• Best Hustle:   Team    
• Best Attitude:  Team       

YBA Xtreme Blue vs. Clovis

Saturday 5/7/11 YBA lost 49-37. YBA played well but was unable to come up with an answer for the opponent’s physical style of play.  #23 proved to be the difference.  YBA held the lead at half time but Clovis was the aggressor in the second half attacking the basket on the offensive end.  YBA panicked and began making poor offensive decisions and this along with missing easy shots and taking quick shots allowed for the deficit to grow.  Being out rebounded, trouble negotiating the opponent’s half court trapping and the opponent’s ability to covert at the free throw line allowed the deficit to be maintained in the end but YBA did play until the final whistle.  Keys for improvement from this game: ball security, offensive execution, braking half court pressure, boxing out and rebounding, overall decision making on offense and poise.    

• Defense player of the game:   None
• Offense player of the game: Ish (leading the team)
• Best Hustle:  Jade, John, honorable mention Cody
• Best Attitude:  Team    

YBA Xtreme Blue vs.  – Cal Reign

Saturday 5/7/11 YBA lost 43-27.  YBA came out with good energy but like game 2 allowed one player on the opposing team to dominate the game… our defensive presence was simply not there.  We lost focus and started missing easy shots and turning the ball over.  Mentally we somewhat imploded leading to a cold 3^rd quarter.  Our opponent had great success against us utilizing back screens, spreading the floor and attacking baseline we simply need to become more of a presence defensively and play better help side defense when our teammates are getting beat. Keys for improvement from this game: stay mentally tough, help side defense, call out screens, will a way to score by attacking the basket with guard penetration and getting to the free throw line when things are not going our way turn their aggression into fouls with ball fakes at the basket. 

• Defense player of the game:  none

• Offense player of the game: none
• Best Hustle:   Team 
• Best Attitude: Team 

3rd Grade-May 7

In the one-day tournament, the team started off by facing the CJBA 3rd grade team. In a previous game, the CJBA team defeated the Xtreme team by a LARGE margin (25+ points). An early game saw the team still sleeping in the first half, but they came alive in the second. They fought their way back to within seven points, but could not get over the hump. In the end, the Xtreme team lost by 11 points - a victory in the coach's eyes, since they had lost by such a large margin before.

A Sutter team that the Xtreme team had beaten a week before by 1 point was back for more. A fourth grade team, the Sutter boys were MUCH BIGGER than the 3rd grade Xtreme team. But, never ones to back down, they used strong defense and sharp shooting to keep the game close through the fourth quarter. In the end, size was too much to overcome, and the Xtreme team was left with no gas in their tank and lost to a good team.

The last game of the day was against the Predators 3rd grade team. A very quick team, the Xtreme team had to be on their toes and ready to run. And they were. Using great defense and a balanced team effort, while being a little short on players (seven), the team beat the Predators to end their day with a nice victory.