The boys had an opportunity in the morning to do some shopping. It was mentioned in the last post that the shops were too expensive and exclusive for their budgets. How wrong we were - it is amazing how teenage boys, with streets lined with stores like Gucci, Tiffany & Co, Armani, etc., can navigate their way to a half-price Nike store like ants to spilt sugar.
Our visit to Harvard allowed us time to stroll around the University village area before we attended the Harvard Basketball team training session. Harvard are a NCAA Division One team and are currently nationally ranked in the top 25. The boys sat in the stands mesmerized by the fluidity and intensity of the training session. We are very grateful to Coach Amaker for making it possible for the boys and staff to learn so much from the short time we were there.
Our games tonight were against Cathedral High School ( http://www.cathedralhighschool.net/ )who played a very fast and physical style of play in all games. In the Freshman game Oscar Bradburn was solid in his first starting game. Connor Orr was tough under the basket with some valuable points. Yu Zhe Zheng provided exceptional defensive pressure on Cathedral's point guard and Conor Karagiannis ran the floor hard. The game was a torrid physical affair, going into overtime with Cathedral coming away with a close win. Comments from Joel Giezekamp after the game - "We played a truly tense and tight match with the final three-pointer from Cathedral sealing their win. Our defence was solid, winning numerous rebounds from both ends. However we lacked the necessary speed on the ball and pace required to win. We still have the desire to improve and learn from our mistakes for our next game." The quarter and extra time scores were: 4-4, 8-8, 14-13, 20-20, 23-25.
In the Junior Varsity game Lucas Catts dominated the boards in the first half, scoring good points. Zac Curran really hustled well in defence and was a great ball distributor. Adrian Antalfy was also superb in defence with quick foot movement, and was also dynamic in offence. Michael Liu had an excellent opening period as one of the starting five. Erin Saricilar had some great looks at the basket from the outside and was a threat to the opposition. Overall we hustled and boxed out well, and handled the pressure late in the game to take the victory. Jonathan Webster commented - "We kept our heads, stuck to our game and it was a great win against very tough opposition." The quarter scores were: 7-5, 22-21, 33-29, 42-36.
Our Varsity team encountered a more structured style of play in their game against Cathedral, getting their first taste of the pace and athleticism of an inner city Boston high school. Julian Blaschka made some strong moves to the basket, including some solid pull-up jump shots. Liam Thomas battled hard against the incredible quickness of the Cathedral defence. Luke Tucker commented after the game - "We started with high expectations but our intensity was lacking early. We were shocked by the athletic ability and physicality of Cathedral and it was a great learning experience for the whole team." The quarter scores were: 9-19, 15-42, 27-53, 37-71.
Our sincere thanks to Cathedral's Athletic Director, Jimmy Lynch, for all his organisation in making our games possible, and the staff and students of Cathedral High School for being so warm and welcoming hosts. It will be sad to leave Boston early tomorrow morning - an incredibly beautiful city with so much to see but so little time. Next stop - DC!
You can find a full set of today’s photos and videos at the following link:
