January 31, 2008 at 8:08 a.m.
Chisago Lakes boys fall to St. Louis Park and Fridley
Chisago Lakes boys fall to St. Louis Park and Fridley
"We came out unprepared," said Wildcat head coach Herb Jangor. "Before you know it, we're down 7-0 and we took a timeout. Then we were down 14-2 and took another timeout. It didn't seem to help. We weren't aggressive on offense. No one was looking to score. You gotta come out ready to play, and we didn't.
"The St. Louis Park guys came out and just kept nailin' threes. We're not doing that. We're not confident. We have to be confident and come out and have some fun. We have kids who have the green light. We just have to be confident enough to shoot it when we have the opportunity," the coach added. The slow start took its toll and, at halftime, the 'Cats were down 45-23.
The second half was more productive for CL as they outscored the Orioles 37-33. "The second half was a little better. We were more aggressive and it paid off," Jangor said. "We've gotta figure out how to play two halves the same night. We have to come out with some fire. When we do that, we'll be a better team. This isn't complicated. We'll keep playing hard, like we did in the second half.
"We have good kids and, as coaches, we aren't doing anything different. We just have to figure out ways to make them better. When we figure it out, we can play pretty good basketball," Jangor explained. "We're in a conference that's in an 'up cycle' right now. Spring Lake Park (which made it to the state semifinals last March), for example, is probably more talented than they were last year. Yet, they're 4 and 3 in the NSC. And, St. Louis Park is stepping up right now to challenge the best teams in the conference."
The coach complimented the play of senior Taylor Jones, who had, "Another good game." He also commented on the play of Junior center Josh Figini. "Josh is really getting beat up inside. But, he's a good player and he's learning how to handle it," Jangor concluded.
GAME SUMMARY
St. Louis Park 45 33 78
Chisago Lakes 23 37 60
Wildcat Scoring
Taylor Jones 16
Josh Figini 21
Manny Crucero 5
Cole Johnson 3
Eric Reed 1
Kyle Hogie 6
Mike Corradi 6
Matt Jorgenson 2
Total 60
Fridley at Chisago Lakes
The Wildcats came back from a five-point deficit in the last 20 seconds of regulation to tie the score at 62. However, the Tigers outscored CL 8-5 in overtime to gain a 70-67 win at CLHS Friday, January 25.
In the first seven minutes of the game, the 'Cats jumped out to a 13-7 lead. In an attempt to shut the Wildcat inside game down, Fridley packed the lane with a compact zone defense. The Wildcats adjusted and held the ball on the perimeter. With the home team in the lead, Fridley was forced to come out and CL responded by getting the ball inside to Josh Figini, who scored the next pair of Chisago field goals.
When the Tigers refocused on Figini, point guard Eric Reed found Henry Fitzpatrick open for two and Kyle Hogie for a three. Then the Wildcats went back inside. This time, senior Taylor Jones assisted Figini, who converted from the paint, giving the 'Cats a 24-15 bulge with 5:25 left in the half.
After a Fridley timeout, the teams traded points for the next two minutes and, with 4:10 left, a Jones steal and layup gave the Wildcats a 27-18 lead. However, in the next four minutes, Fridley went on a 9-2 run to pull within two at 29-27. Junior Quinn Collins hit a clutch three with 12 seconds on the clock before Fridley scored on a banker at the buzzer. That made the score Chisago Lakes 32, Fridley 29 at the break.
The Wildcats led 36-32 before Fridley took the lead with a 6-0 run in the half's second minute. With 15:55 left, Fridley had a 38-36 lead when CL head coach Herb Jangor took timeout.
In the next two minutes, CL retook the lead on a Figini shot from the lane, a Hogie three from the corner and a Figini freethrow. At the 14:25 mark, the Wildcats held a 42-20 lead. But, in the next seven minutes, Fridley hit a trio of triples while the Wildcats were limited to only one Figini hoop. At 7:30, Fridley led 49-44 and Jangor called for another timeout.
The Tigers still maintained a five-point margin when Hogie hit a three and Taylor Jones hit two from the foul stripe. It was 54-54 when a Fridley putback gave the Tigers a 56-54 lead with three minutes left. The visitors still led by two, 59-57, when Fridley took a timeout with 1:08 on the clock.
On the strength of three foul shots, Fridley's lead grew to 62-57 with 37 seconds remaining. On CL's next possession, Figini drove, scored and was fouled. His freethrow bounced off the rim, but he controlled the rebound and, with 12.1 seconds remaining, Jangor plotted strategy during a timeout. Jones put up a long three with 7.7 left. The ball hit the front rim and fell short, but the baseline official blew his whistle. The senior swingman calmly dropped all three freethrows to tie the score at 62. "Taylor really stepped up and played as a senior leader," said Wildcat coach Herb Jangor.
After a Fridley timeout with four ticks left, the Tigers tried a long, last second shot. The shot missed, but a Fridley player tipped it in. After a short pause, the officials ruled that the basket was too late.
With the scoreboard showing a pair of 62's, the four minute overtime began. In the first minute, Fridley connected on both ends of a one-and-one and Hogie drained another three, giving the 'Cats a 65-64 advantage. Fridley matched Hogie's shot to take a 67-65 lead at 2:35. Hogie threaded a pass into the lane 30 seconds later. Figini took the pass, faked and slid to the basket. He hit the short banker to tie the score with 2:05 left. "Josh gives everything he has - every game. So do all my kids," Jangor added.
Nobody scored in the next 60 seconds, but Fridley gained a two-point lead with 1:03 left. With 27 seconds left, Fridley added the final point on the first of two freethrows. The Tigers defended the three after a CL timeout. Jones took the only scoring opportunity, but couldn't convert.
After Fridley missed two freethrows with 5.6 seconds left, the Wildcats had one last chance. But, a desperation three didn't find the net and Fridley went home with a 70-67 win.
"It was good to see us play like we should. It's been a rough season wins and and losses wise, but we don't give up. We need to keep playing the right way, win or lose," Jangor said. "We had two good days of practice after a tough loss on Tuesday. We played one of our best games all season. Sure, we missed a few shots and made a few mistakes and missed a few opportunities. But, that's basketball.
"We had a great crowd and you have to give a lot of credit to our bench. I didn't have the chance to play a bunch of players, but the guys on the bench showed a lot of support for their teammates. We played a good game, with a lot of emotion. If we continue to do that, we can play even better and we'll have a good second half of the season," the coach concluded.
GAME SUMMARY
Fridley 29 33 8 70
Chisago Lakes 22 30 5 67
Wildcat Scoring
Cole Johnson 4
Kyle Hogie 12
Quinn Collins 6
Taylor Jones 16
Henry Fitzpatrick 2
Josh Figini 27
Total 67
The Wildcats start a three-game road stretch tomorrow night, Saturday, February 2 when they play at St. Francis at 6:15. Tuesday, February 5 they play at Totino-Grace at 7:45. Friday, February 8 the 'Cats play at Irondale. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15.
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