JV Owls Use Big Second Half to Outlast Panthers, Sweep Season Series

In his book Sacred Hoops, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Phil Jackson remarks, “The strength of the team is in each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” This quotation–or meditation, if you will–was exemplified by the ten young men who donned their Country School uniforms and took to the court in the JV boys’ fourth game of the season, a rematch against the Pine Point Panthers. 

The long drive up Interstate 95 to the Rhode Island border was highlighted by singalongs to many of today’s top pop hits and set the stage for a loose and joyful afternoon game against a team they’d bested by 15 at home just two weeks earlier. But as the team turned off the highway, Mr. McDonough reminded them of two important keys to success. First were those two controllable elements that had led them to victory in their prior two games: Effort and Attitude. The second was that beating a team at home usually leads to the losing team seeking revenge when you head on the road. In short, this Panther team was not to be underestimated.

Lucky for our Owls, the long migration up I-95 didn’t diminish the team’s energy as they capitalized on 4 points each from Jimmy Ogeneski and Henry Laurans. Those eight points matched the 8 scored by Pine Point’s entire team, while TCS took the lead on a jumper by Kyle Jacobson to go along with three free throws and a deep 3-pointer from Jonah McDonough. With a 16-8 lead, things looked good and the team eased into their offense in the second half.

But the fates dealt the team a tough blow (of the whistle!) as the aggressive play of the Pine Point guards caused McDonough to pick up his third foul on the defensive end with 5 minutes left in the first half. Luckily, Oliver Molloy was able to captain the team by deftly running the point and Edward Barney unleashed a timely three pointer from the left wing that rattled in to maintain a 2 point lead going into the second half.

With the score 20-18 in favor of the Owls, the second half had the team hopeful, but on a Pine Point drive to the rim early in the third quarter McDonough picked up his fourth foul and again found himself on the bench.

This time, though, the team was able to shoulder the scoring load until a few minutes remained. Patrick Becker, Henry Laurans, and Barney each scored a basket and McDonough re-entered to score four. The real story of the third, though, was the defensive effort from Andrew Lustberg, Quinn Crimmins, and Neil Parwani. The three of them closed out on defenders, boxed out beautifully and rebounded with a real sense of purpose and resilience. As a result of the full team efforts, the Panthers were held to 4 points for the quarter and TCS headed into the final frame with a 30-22 lead. 

The final quarter was a real offensive onslaught for the Owls as they scored 17 points over 8 minutes. Oliver Molloy canned a silky smooth jump shot from the elbow, Jonah McDonough connected on a number of drives and spinning moves off the glass to score 11, and Kyle Jacobson caught fire from the wing by dropping in a pair of nice jumpers. Finally, Henry Laurans finished off a career game with his 7th and 8th points on a floater in the paint.

By the end of the game, the bench was all smiles and the team coasted to another impressive win, 47-35, extending their winning streak to 3 games.

Overall, the team was again led by Jonah McDonough (22 points), while season highs were achieved by Patrick Becker (2), Henry Laurans (8), Edward Barney (5), and Kyle Jacobson (4). Jimmy Ogeneski scored 4 and Oliver Molloy added two of his own. The team’s 47 points were a season high for the group who is now averaging an impressive 39 points per 32 minute game.

With a 3-1 record, three games remain in the season. Next up is a rematch with IDS at home on Tuesday. While the game might get snowed out, you can be sure these fighting JV Owls will save plenty of energy for the Coyotes, whenever the rematch comes.