Albany, N.Y. - Saturday afternoon, the ACPHS men's basketball team (2-2) lost their first YSCC regular season matchup, 99-72, against Great Bay Community College.
After an impressive performance last Sunday, the Panthers came into this matchup looking to earn their first set of back-to-back wins.
First-half breakdown
ACPHS found themselves in a 10-point deficit a little over seven minutes into the game, resulting in a quick timeout from Head Coach Robert Coleman. "Pass and cut, we cannot stay in one place," Coleman told his players during the break.
Coach got what he wanted. The Panthers regained the lead five minutes later after pushing the ball in transition and finding the open man. Unfortunately, ACPHS took their foot off the gas in the remaining six minutes, giving up a 9-22 run to close out the half. GBCC began running the Panthers off the 3–point line, forcing them to make contested passes in the paint area, resulting in an innumerable amount of points on the other end.
Heading into the locker room, ACPHS was down 54-41, and they desperately needed a quick spark to get themselves back in this game.
Second-half recap
Coming out of the break, it was much of the same story as the first half. GBCC continued converting their man-to-man defense into easy baskets on their side of the floor – forcing coach Coleman to use another timeout early on.
However, this time – Coleman did not get the same response from his team. The Panthers kept forcing passes and making uncharacteristic mistakes until the final buzzer sounded. In ACPHS' defense, they never put their heads down at any point – constantly attempting to claw themselves back into the game.
Who stood out?
Although finding the bright side in outcomes like this is difficult, Nathan Lynes proved to be trouble for the opposing team. Lynes scored 19 points and seven rebounds while shooting a high percentage from the floor.
What was said after the game?
"That is a great question. If I had the answer to that, I would bottle it and sell it, and we would all be millionaires," Coach Coleman said when asked how his team can stop beating themselves early on.
"I think it's hard work; we have to keep working. Practice daily and understand that our mistakes from today are exactly what we need to work on for tomorrow. We have a quick turnaround against NHTI, which is another conference game, and they are historically very good. We have a lot to learn from tonight to tomorrow morning," Coleman added.
When do they play next?
The Panthers return to action Sunday, Nov. 13, when they travel to New Hampshire Technical Institute for their second straight YSCC matchup.
How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instagram @ACPHSPanthers or Twitter @ACPHSAthletics.
This story was contributed by Nikolas Gheiler
