Sloppy play by both teams ends with Clinton win

Coming into last Wednesday’s matchup against the Clinton Governors, Bronx Science Wolverines head coach Barton Allen knew this game would be about working out the kinks. After all, it was just the first game of the season for both squads.

“We lost basically our entire starting lineup who were seniors last year,” Allen said. “Now it’s about these seniors stepping up and showing me something.”

When he was asked how his squad did in the preseason, his response was short: “OK.”

But this time out, it was not “OK” for either team. They were bad. Both were unable to score, and, at times, the game seemed to produce more turnovers than points in an eventual 37-35 win for the Governors.

The score after the first quarter was just 9-8. And going into half, the offenses were not that much better and both coaches agreed there was no rhythm to the game.

“Offensively, we struggled,” said Allen. “At points we needed to be more selfish. There were a couple of moments where we needed to take the shots, and, again, I think that’s about recognizing roles. As we go forward I think it’s going to be about recognizing what our identity is.”

“Thirty seven points isn’t a lot of offense,” said Clinton head coach Chris Ballerina, “So we have to get into more of a flow of the game. It was too choppy, too discombobulated for us to get the necessary possessions. It’s early, it’s November. We’ll get better.”

The result in the second half was not all that much better, but both teams ran better offensive sets, spreading the floor and getting easy looks that just were not going down.

The defensive intensity picked up as well. Early in the third quarter Clinton was trapping and full-court pressuring Bronx Science every chance it got, leading to two straight turnovers and four straight points.

“Defensively we tried to speed them up,” said Ballerina. “But toward the end of the game we went back to our true half court defense, able to get stop after stop and be us because I thought we gave them way too many layups.”

Clinton was able to rely on two of its seniors, Lindsay Timothy and Isiah Ryan, who as Ballerina put it, were the two players he knew could get him an easy bucket down the stretch.

Timothy poured in 16, while Ryan dropped 12, including a huge bucket with under two minutes to play that put Clinton up by four. Ryan, who is also Clinton’s captain, was straight to the point on how his team could grow from its ugly win.

“Confidence, confidence can go a long way in this game,” the senior said. “Our senior captain last year [Jordan Cintron] taught me how to be a good captain, so I’m just trying to build off that.”

Despite the loss, Science seniors Tomas Greenberg and Samuel Shapiro led the emotional charge to keep the Wolverines in the game. Greenberg with his timely shots, and Shapiro by constantly glaring into his teammates’ eyes saying “Let’s go” after every few possessions.

“I think they competed,” Allen said.

This allowed perhaps Bronx Science’s most promising player, junior Theodore Lowen, to get going. Lowen, by far the team’s most gifted player, scored eight points in the final four minutes, two of those coming off steals he forced by switching out and defending Clinton’s guards.

“I think he’s a very good athlete and has a lot of potential,” Barton said. “I was really happy with how he played.”

The final out-of-bounds play with 1.5 seconds left in the game was even designed for Lowen. It would have either tied the game or won it with a three-pointer, but by that point Clinton knew where the ball was going. The junior forward caught the ball on the weak side and missed a contested two-pointer that would’ve sent the game to overtime.

For both teams this game showed glimpses of what could be as the season progresses. But, as Allen predicted, it would be a game to see what he has on his roster.

There are kinks for both squads to work out, but nothing that isn’t fixable.

“Sometimes the game is true,” said Ballerina. “You are who you are. Tomorrow we have to go back to the lab and get better.”