Boys’ minor basketball team rides work ethic to win over Stratford

Jake Carpenter takes flight to try for a basket.

By Spencer Seymour

St. Marys Minor Basketball’s boys’ team picked up a tight 25-18 win on March 7 over Stratford.

Coach Steven Reid noted the pair of prior battles between St. Marys and Stratford this season showed the similarities between the two teams.

“We played that team twice before, and it’s a nice matchup for us,” Reid told the Independent. “We beat them and then they beat us, and then (we beat them on March 7), so that was good. We’re pretty evenly matched, and it was a good defensive matchup, so we had to grind through it, and thankfully, we have a good, hardworking team.”

Reid cited two of the team’s older players as helping to lead their younger, hardworking teammates through the tightly contested game.

“We have a few players who played last year when we had a small team, but it’s noticeable now, the kids who are back. Mark (Richardson) had an unbelievable game and led the way in battling through those tough, low-scoring minutes, and Jake (Carpenter) is also a good veteran for us.

“It’s nice to have those veterans leading the way. I think them just being in game situations and having that composure is a big plus for the younger players on the team. It shows them how to play calm. Calm doesn’t mean slow, but you have to be calm, cool and collected.”

Reid also praised Kayden Brode for his strong work in the post.

“Kayden, our big post player, I think that game against Stratford was probably his best game of the year. He has been getting better and better each and every game about using his size and being a big post player, and that was probably his best from when it comes to rebounding and using his size. Even as a post player, he’s willing to get on the ground and fight for loose balls and jump balls, which is good to see.”

According to Reid, the team has focused heavily so far this season on building up each player’s abilities.

“Our coach, Jack (Taylor), has gone through a lot of individual skill work with them. It’s hard with the limited amount of times we can practice to put in a lot of team systems, but we’ve worked hard on individual skills and certainly from last year to this year, the individual skills are far higher on this team. Their ability to break people down and certainly get things done one-on-one has certainly grown in a big way.”

With many of the team’s players eligible to play for the squad again next year, Reid hopes the skill development of each player continues and leads to an even stronger group next year.

“Looking at this team, a lot of our boys are in Grade 7, so a lot of them are coming back next year. I think, with the focus on individual skills and as our players continue getting better and getting more comfortable in the game situations, I think we’re in pretty good shape for next year. We’ve certainly come a long way, even in the first six games, and hopefully we continue in that direction.”