First Loss

Will’s Flight Jayvees lost a tough game 47 – 34 to a talented Grace Baptist team Saturday afternoon. The score did not indicate how closely the teams played…it was a close game well into the 4th quarter. The game was lost only because the Flight shooters were cold, easy lay-ups were missed, and careless passes were stolen.

Will started the game and played parts of three quarters. At one tough point in the second quarter Flight needed defensive help inside, and Will was put back in the game…his coach hoping Will could help out. Late in the game Flight was trying to mount a comeback, and Will had a key steal and nice rebound.

Catherine was at the Saturday game, much to the delight of Matthew. Anna missed her, instead hitting the American Girl Store with a friend.

The first quarter ended with Grace leading 5 – 4. Coach Hoffer played everyone, but kept his strongest five on the court most of the time: DJ, Connor, Holt, Josh, and Isaac. DJ was all over the court, running the offense, shooting, and racing after lose balls. But on the final possession of the half DJ passed off to Connor, who nailed a clutch three-pointer to cut the lead to 16 – 13.

Flight kept the momentum early in the third quarter. DJ hit a three to tie the game at 20, then drove the length of the court for a layup to again tie the game at 22. The game remained close, with Flight playing tight defense, gathering several steals and rebounds against a seemingly superior opponent. In the Thursday night practice DJ had been on fire, hitting most every 3-pointer he tried. Saturday he was cold, only hitting a frustrating 3 – 12 outside the line. But the third quarter ended with Flight only down 4 points.

In the fourth quarter Grace stepped it up, outscoring Flight 20 – 12. It was the first tough opponent Flight had played, and the consensus was the when DJ and Connor aren’t cold, Flight could beat them in a rematch.

DJ finished with 15 points and 2 assists, with 4 each rebounds, steals, and blocks. He could’ve had more rebounds and putbacks, but needed to lay back to defend against fast breaks.

Connor had 5 points, 2 assists, and a rebound and steal. His tight defense caused a backcourt violation.

...Holt had 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.
...Josh had 8 points and 5 rebounds, and played well inside.
...Isaac played a good game, using his quickness to be a big help on defense. Two points and boards, and a steal, assist, and block.
...Joel started but struggled. He and Max didn’t see much action.
...Jonathan is a good player, a guard who aggressively mixes it up inside. I was surprised that Will played more than Jonathan, who may have doomed himself with an errant pass.

Tonight Flight plays at arch-rival Crown, the other big home-school team who plays around the corner from Living Science. The JV girls and varsity girls & boys are playing as well, so a big crowd of students and parents are expected.

Friday night the middle-school team cruised to a win over Kings Ridge. They have at least six good players. Little Charles had a great game, scoring 19 points…as John Smoltz watched. Smoltz stood upstairs on an unused balcony, probably to keep the attention on the court as opposed to him.