Monday, February 27, 2017

TCS vs. Bergen Christian MCAA Tourney Consolation


Assists Off. ReboundsDef. ReboundsStealsBlocksPoints
Peter Yamasaki134118
Nicholas Yamasaki41132
Joey Lee113515
Chris Lee134212
Ian Stempert1336
Nikita Sifonios1111
Dan Champagne21
Team Totals:9111813144

The Trinity Trailblazers finished the year off in dazzling yet fitting fashion. Saturday afternoon produced an event that had everyone who was watching have high heart rates and sweaty palms. Bergen Christian, the #3 seed coming into the tournament, faced off against #4 Trinity Christian in an instant classic. Bergen, with a lack of depth, desperately needed to slow the pace to a snail crawl in order to preserve the starting 5 while Trinity desired to play at a much quicker pace with a press that created havoc in the back court and quick transition buckets. Something had to give. Trinity had witnessed first hand the slow pace only a week and a half before against Bergen and on Saturday was prepared. 

The first quarter saw a quicker pace which led to several baskets in the opening moments and both teams were playing at a high level. The second quarter saw a continuation of the quick pace which slowly began to eat into the Bergen Christian players because they were not able to expend the energy and still have enough to finish strong. The 3rd quarter observed a see-saw effect with both teams grasping the lead, Trinity's efforts spearheaded by Peter Yamasaki and  Bergen Christian's by Josh Gyesky. Both players had brilliant games, making pinpoint passes and causing turnovers while also able to convert with big shot after big shot. Peter Yamasaki had help from Chris Lee who matched his career high of 12 points in a contest. The 4th quarter began to see attrition contribute to the outcome with Trinity's bench playing much stronger than Bergen Christian's. Trinity was able to build a 6 point lead with only a couple of minutes remaining, however, Gyesky a senior at Bergen refused to go quietly in the night. Down the stretch he manufactured a 8-0 run by himself with a 3 pointer, mid-range jumper, layup, and free throw that put Bergen Christian ahead, 38-37. In the last 30 seconds of regulation, Trinity fouled another Bergen player and sent him to the line for a one-and-one. He missed the shot which Trinity rebounded then promptly pushed the ball up the floor. Upon crossing half court, Trinity called time out to set up the final play. With about 12 seconds on the clock Peter Yamasaki drove to the basket and shot the ball but missed. Nikita Sifonios tracked the loose ball down and in the process was fouled which sent him to the free throw line. The Trailblazers were down 37-38 still so they needed at least one of these to go in to at least force overtime. Nikita drilled the first shot which gave him a second opportunity but he unfortunately missed. Bergen rebounded the ball and had approximately 10 seconds to go the length of the court and get a good look. They called timeout to set up the final play of regulation and to try to win the game. They were able to successfully cross over half court but the player was unable to get the shot off, the ball still on his fingertips in the act of shooting when the buzzer went off. The refs accurately waived the shot off and the game went to overtime. 

Overtime saw an exchange of shots and free throws, none bigger than Peter Yamasaki's with 4.8 seconds to go. He coolly made both shots from the charity stripe and effectively put Trinity ahead 44-41. Bergen in-bounded the ball and raced up the court to get off a shot which they did as time expired again but the shot was hotly contested by Chris Lee, a bruising force, who was able to affect it just enough that the ball sailed wide right. The buzzer sounded and Trinity was victorious! 

The tournament appearance was the first time in recent Trinity memory and a 3rd place finish was a fantastic start for rookie head coach, Nathanael Schrader. Josh Gyesky of Bergen Christian led all scores with 20 points. Peter Yamasaki was in hot pursuit and finished with 18. Peter Yamasaki and Joey Lee were nominated as Conference All-Stars at the awards ceremony and Trinity received a trophy for placing 3rd overall in the tournament. 

Final Score: TCS-44, Bergen Christian- 41

Final Record: 17-11 (10-6)

The Trinity Trailblazers would like to thank Chris and Joey's parents, Mr. & Mrs. Lee, for filming the games this year and allowing the coaching staff to dissect game film and extract stats.  

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