On Tuesday afternoon, Winslow boys basketball kicked off some conference play against the 13-5 Bishop Eustace crusaders. The Eagles started this game off energetic and came out flying, having a 13-3 lead in the first three minutes of the first quarter. The Eagles played tight defense and got some scrappy offensive rebounds but towards the end of the first quarter they gave up some uncontested 3-pointers on the perimeter to the crusaders. The score at the end of the first was 15-13.
In the second quarter Winslow continued to play hard and scrappy, getting lots of transition buckets and second chance points. In the first half Winslow looked more energetic and simply wanted it more than Eustace; the score was 26-20 heading into halftime.
As the third quarter started, the Eagles looked very stagnant on offense holding onto the ball long and not getting much to work with. Eustace went on a pretty big run hitting multiple shots and capitalizing off of Winslow’s mistakes, scoring sixteen points to Winslow’s measly three third quarter points. The Eagles seem to play better when they are playing fast paced and in transition.
Winslow came into the fourth quarter hot gaining some momentum, it seemed like something special was going to happen when junior Jayden Driver hit a huge 3 to cut the deficit to two points making the score 36-34, but then unfortunately one of Winslow’s key standout players, Kevin Satchell, fouled out with 4:44 left in the fourth. This was a pretty big loss considering that Satchell is one of Winslow’s top scorers and difference makers. Jayden Driver continued his excellence by going up for a contested layup. He got fouled hard but still managed to score anyway, he then made his free throw making the score 40-37. After this Bishop Eustace started draining the clock and with the no shot clock rule, they kept passing around Winslow, wasting crucial time. Eventually leading to Winslow pressing, but Eustace broke it by drawing fouls and getting easy layups in the process. The game ended 47-39.
Standout players were Bishop Eustace’s 6 ‘6 forward Dillon Adomanis, who made Winslow fight for every single rebound; his size was also a big factor in scoring easy points. Winslow’s Jayden Driver was probably the most impressive player of the game, scoring nineteen points, hitting some big shots that could have changed the game. This loss stings for Winslow not only because it’s a conference loss but because it’s a game where they had multiple chances to win. The third quarter really got the Eagles off track, making them play from behind heading into the fourth quarter. Regardless, this loss was a learning experience and I’m sure the eagles will get back on track against Cherry Hill West.
