March 19, 2009 at 9:10 a.m.
March 19, 2009
Patriots' second-half run ends Chisago Lakes' season in 1st round
Fifty-seven combined points from the Figini brothers can’t bail out the Wildcats
Patriots' second-half run ends Chisago Lakes' season in 1st round
With the season on the line, the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team traveled down to Minneapolis to take on the Patrick Henry Patriots in a sectional match up the fourth and fifth seeds.
According to Head Coach Herb Jangor, the Patriots boast a quick team that can damage teams in transition and on the fast break. He also said they had an aversion to defense and no real big men.
The former news was better, as Chisago Lakes boasts 6'9" Josh Figini and 6'6" Benji Figini to trot out against the Patriots.
The first half was about as evenly matched as you'll find in a four-versus-five match up. The Wildcats hammered the Patriots down low with a combination of the Figini brothers, but Patrick Henry was able to race out and score quick baskets in their fast break.
In fact, the Figini brothers were the only two Wildcats to score in the first half. The pair combined for all 28 points, and the Wildcats held a slim 28-26 lead.
Coming out in the second half, the 'Cats started to build on their lead with more punishing play from the Figini brothers. With less than eight minutes remaining, the Wildcats were enjoying an eight-point lead, and they also had possession of the ball.
The offense moved the ball around at a frenetic pace and eventually found a man open for an easy lay up. The problem for the Wildcats, however, was that the easy lay up turned disastrous when it clanked off the iron and into Patriot hands. The Henry player quickly moved the ball up the court for an easy basket, but their defense was still sagging as the Wildcats pushed the ball back up the court, now leading by six.
Because of the Patriots lack of fast break defense, the Wildcats again got another easy look from in close, but, it was the same result, another ball clanking off the rim, and another Henry basket to chop the lead to four.
Those two non-baskets by the 'Cats and subsequent makes by the Henry squad was just the beginning of a 14-0 run that catapulted Henry from barely surviving to a commanding position. "We had them, but we just couldn't put them away," Jangor said. "We just didn't make enough plays."
Although the Wildcats broke the 14-0 run, and trimmed the lead down to two, Henry kept them at bay by making their open shots and converting their free throws. "We just couldn't find their shooter," Jangor noted. The "shooter" that Jangor mentioned was Evan Gray, who is the second leading scorer on the Patriots squad. He was held scoreless in the first half, but exploded for 22 second-half points including five three-pointers.
"In reality, we only played bad for about two minutes, but Henry made the plays," Coach Janger explained. "They just turned it up, and we didn't respond. We put ourselves in position to win, and if you throw a few of the mistakes away, it's a different game."
Josh Figini led the offensive attack with 31 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Benji added 26 points and eight rebounds as the pair of brothers combined for 57 of the Wildcats' 70 points. Senior Jake Warkel added four points and six rebounds.
GAME SUMMARY
Chisago Lakes 28 42 70
Patrick Henry 26 51 77
CHISAGO LAKES SCORING
J. Figini 31, B. Figini 26, Sokol 6, Warkel 4, Vrudny 3
A large batch of seniors will be departing the program this year, chief among them Josh Figini, who'll be heading to Cornell to play basketball. Also, Cole Johnson, Quinn Collins, Jake Warkel, Zak Vrudny, Mike Sokol, Henry Fitzpatrick and Jason Showers say goodbye to the program. "With all the seniors, we should've had more up's than down's, but I'll remember the great kids they are. I'm just a lucky guy to coach such quality kids. It's sad to see a good group of seniors go," Jangor said.
Figini closes out his career as the Wildcats' career leading scorer in boys basketball. He missed out on the all-time record in the whole basketball program by 28 points. "You're just not ever going to replace a kid like him," Jangor said. "I say it all the time, but I really do mean it -- Josh is a better person than he is basketball player."
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