Albany, NY - Men's basketball drops 4th straight YSCC matchup against the defending National Champions. The Panthers took on the Southern Maine Community College Seawolves, a matchup the Panthers knew would be difficult.
The game was noticeably defensive focused the second the ball was possessed after tip-off. The Panthers changed their starting lineup, and looked to come into the game with a new strategy after the last couple games. They were able to throw off the Seawolves with this strategy and saw it pay off. The Panthers racked up a bunch of fouls on the Seawolves, and threw their game off, that the opposing head coach had to make some changes early.
The bench came in for the Seawolves, and they started to make some noise. The Panthers did not just let themselves take the noise, as they knew the initial strategy was working. Denfense seemed to be the focus, but on the offensive end, it was all Brett Richards (Kinderhook, NY). The Panthers went to Richards early to try and get their offense flowing, and it worked as Richards had 16 of the Panthers 23 first half points. Although Richards seemed to have it going in this game, the rest of the team shot poorly in the first half. This did not stop the Panthers from going into halftime up 23-22. They worked hard to keep the defending champions to only 22 points.
Out of halftime, it seemed as if the Seawolves found themselves as they started to really ramp up the intensity on both ends of the floor. They came out of half with a full court press, and made adjustments that started forcing turnovers, and missed shots. The Panthers were trying to find the answers, and go back to their first half strategies, but it was not enough to hold this team down two halves in a row. The Seawolves seemed to start hitting every mid-range, and 3 point shot they got. The defense contested well, but it didn't matter once the Seawolves got hot.
Although the Panthers started falling behind, they still focused on getting the ball to Richards. Richards finished with his second 30 point game of the season, and finished with 12 rebounds as well to complete the double double. As for the rest of the team, the field goal percentage was better, but they still had trouble finding the bottom of the net. Although the Panthers lost by 20, they can come out of this game looking at some of the positives. Their defense in the first half was amazing, and their strategies worked well, the Seawolves just made the adjustments needed to take control of the game.
The Panthers will have some time off for Thanksgiving break, while enjoying some turkey, they will prepare themselves for a weekend in Maine where they first start off the trip facing Central Maine Community College, Friday, December 2.
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.
