Rockets blast boys' varsity basketball, 53-27

NELSON H. KOBREN GYMNASIUM, Feb. 4 –

There's something to be said about the fact that on Wednesday night, Blair ended their game with more turnovers than points scored.

Blair (5-13) fell to the Richard Montgomery Rockets (10-7) in yet another frustrating display of disarray on the court, with the final scoreboard reading 53-27. Despite Blair's variety of talented players, the Blazers continue to struggle with unity, grabbing rebounds and accuracy of shots. This faltering in play is exemplified by Blair's disappointing record this season. With the exception of a few games, the scoring deficit of Blair from the opposing team has been staggering, often exceeding 15 points. Their latest loss is another example that something is not working.

Coach Mark DeStefano has been disappointed with the direction of this season and the effort that his team has put into each game. "It doesn't matter what level of ball you play – if you get 20-plus turnovers, you won't win," he said. The Rockets forced 28 Blazer turnovers during the game.

DeStefano said the team has potential, but he has yet to see it on the court. "We practice great but we have to move that to the game," he said.

Junior Trey Moses attributed the loss to a cohesion problem. "We're best friends off of the court," Moses said, "but tonight, no one was playing together."

Against Richard Montgomery, Blair had a hard time holding on to the ball and finding open looks. In what turned out to be a theme of the night, the Blazers continuously lost the ball, resulting in fast break points driven down the court to score. A great deal of turnovers in the first quarter set the mood for the game and quickly gave Richard Montgomery an advantage. "We can't give the game away to turnovers," DeStefano said.

This continued into the second quarter where the Blazers had trouble running their offense. By the end of the first half, Blair was already down 29-16.

At the beginning of the third quarter, it appeared that the continuous turnovers had subsided, however that was short-lived. While the Blazers did demonstrate their speed when recovering after Richard Montgomery regained the ball, the Rockets managed to hit multiple threes, a feat the Blazers could not match. By the end of the game, the Rockets had made six three pointers, to Blair's zero

By the fourth quarter, Richard Montgomery had built a 42-23 lead, which they only added to in the last eight minutes of the game, when Blair was only able to score four more points before closing the game, 53-27.

Despite the loss, the game was a substantial exhibition of Blazer talent. Moses displayed his skill towards the end of the game as the only Blazer to score in the fourth quarter. "It was good to see him have a positive game," DeStefano said.

Moses and senior co-captain and center Leon Sampson both led Blair with six points. Sampson showcased his abilities by using his tall stature to reach over the heads of many Rockets to score multiple lay ups.

Blair was without one of its leading scorers, senior captain Mike McClain, who was out with a back injury.

Blair's next home game is Tuesday, Feb. 10 against Blake at 5:15 p.m. Editor's note: Mark DeStefano is the adviser for Silver Chips Online.