About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2017)
Page C6 Lake Oconee News Friday, December 1,2017 GREENE COUNTY Justin Hubbard/Staff LOA senior Clayton Hinspeter fights with Mount de Sales' center for the opening tip during last Tuesday's game in Macon. Justin Hubbard/Staff Bryson Jackson swings around a defender to shoot a layup and record 2 of the 9 points he scored last Tuesday afternoon. Justin Hubbard/Staff Jackson Cown attempt a 3-pointer after receiving a pass on a breakaway play versus the Cavaliers. LOA Titans fall in season opener Justin Hubbard justin@lakeoconeenews.us The Lake Oconee Academy boys basketball team started its season by dropping its opener last week at Mount de Sales, 60-36. The Titans were 0-1 as of Tuesday and had a home matchup with GMC this past Wednesday evening. They won just one game last year, their first season playing at the varsity level. Titans head coach Michael Brooker said he was proud of the effort his players gave despite the disappointing result. “Theyplayedhard,’’Brooker said. ‘We just didn’t, at times, play smart. We gave up too many offensive rebounds, especially off free throws. I think we had about 23 turn overs so, obviously, it’s gonna be tough to win any basket ball game turning it over at that rate. And they didn’t pressure a lot, so that’s a little concerning because we’re going to see a lot of pressure throughout the course of the year from different teams we play in our region. I thought they competed. I just think there’s a lot of areas that we can clean up on and we will clean up on.” It appeared in the first half against Mount de Sales that LOA could have a chance to open the year on a high note. The two teams traded punches in the first half and Mount de Sales led by just 7 points at intermission. Unfortunately for the Titans, the Cavaliers turned their 31-24 halftime lead into a comfortable margin in the third quarter. LOA was outscored 20-6 in that period then outscored 9-6 in the fourth. Brooker attributed his players’ collapse in the third quarter to careless mistakes and tiredness. Justin Hubbard/Staff LOA's Manny Mills glides his way through the paint to make a layup against the Cavaliers. Justin Hubbard/Staff Titans senior John Fowler takes a foul shot after drawing a foul while dribbling in the paint. “I think it’s just mental focus,” Brooker said. “I think, at times, we show that, but when fatigue starts to set in and things don’t go well, that’s when you really start to see some slippage. Turnovers start to mount and it’s hard to get it back after that.” The Titans employed the use of regular substitutions. The team’s starting five did not stay on the floor for an extended period of time thanks to Brooker sending in backups at a consistent pace. Brooker saidheis searching for the best lineup of players he can put on the court and, in the process, is taking advan tage of having a bigger roster this season. ‘We have a couple more guys this year than we did last year,” he said. “We’ve got 10 guys that, at times, can all do some good stuff, so we’re trying to get people opportunities and also create a little more competition. Last year, it didn’t go quite as we planned so we can’t get com fortable andjustplay the same guys. We need to have level of competition at practice to where, ifyou’re not doing what you need to do, then there’s somebody else that can step in and try to do it.” Brooker said his team has increased its focus on shoot ing. The Titans have a Shoot- A-Way machine in their gym and Brooker said they spend about 30 minutes shooting every day at practice. They saw some of the returns of that practice during the Mount de Sales game. All but two Titans who played scored at least 1 point. Devin Phenix, Ryan Smith, Manny Mills, Jackson Cown, John Fowler, Kendal Clark, Clayton Hinspeter, K.J. Harris and Bryson Jackson, who led the team with 9 points, all recorded a mini mum of 1 point. Although their consistency wasn’t good, Brooker said he’s confident his players’ hard work at improving their shooting ability will pay off. “It’s just got to translate to the game,” Brooker said. After theTitans’first game, Brooker said his team must learn to be more effective on the boards and decrease their turnovers. “Rebounding the ball better and taking care of the ball - if we can do those things, we can be competitive and wins some games,” he said. “But, if not, it’s gonna be tough sledding from here on out.” Saturday, December 9th 11:00am to 4:00pm 176 Dennis Station Road Eatonton, Georgia
