Bulls Triumph Over Lakers in House Final 33-29

By Cameron van de Graaf

 

The 11^th and 12^th grade 2012-2013 Darien YMCA House Basketball season drew to a close on Wednesday, February 13^th as the Bulls narrowly edged out the Lakers by the score of 33-29. Junior Dan Murphy and Senior Jack Traver played pivotal roles for the Bulls, while the Whiting brothers, Pierce and Jackson, put up solid numbers for the Lakers.

The game started off in dramatic fashion, as Travers put up a three and sank four straight free throws in three minutes to put the Lakers down early. Murphy scored on several fast breaks to add more points to his team’s rapidly growing total. Though the Lakers’ big men played solidly in the first 10 minutes, their efforts could not stop the Bulls from going up 16-8 one quarter of the way through.

Over the next 10 minutes, however, the Lakers launched a comeback predicated on the shooting success of several players. Junior Andrew Nault was first to score after snagging an offensive rebound, and was followed in short order by Nick Saggese, who drained a three pointer. At the end of the half, the Lakers had closed the gap, and the score stood at 22-21 Bulls.

In contrast to the first half, the second period was defined by anemic offense and inspired defense on both teams. Particularly notable were Pierce Whiting’s blocked shots and rebounds, which robbed the Bulls of momentum on several occasions. Accompanying this physical play was an increase in fouls and violations called, with the referee interrupting the action at regular intervals to call a charge, travel, or foul. Due to the above factors, the two teams remained within two points of each other for the first 15 minutes of the second half. The Bulls were just beginning to pull away when Jackson Whiting put the Lakers back into contention with a basket and penalty shot combined for a three point play. With fewer than 40 seconds left, the score was 31-29 Bulls, and the Lakers had possession. Unfortunately, the team was unable to convert and resorted to fouling in order to stop the clock. Murphy stepped up, making both of his bonus free throws to put the Bulls up 33-29, a nearly insurmountable lead with only 15 seconds left. The final moments passed without heroic comeback, and the Bulls were crowned the House champions of 2013. Reflecting on the victory, Morgan said, “We had a great team this year…we’re glad we could pull out the win.”

Pictured: Players battling for the ball.