Landon 52 Episcopal 76

Landon Basketball 52 Episcopal High School 76 By Vernon Holleman

Tonight, the Bears lost their home IAC opener to Episcopal, and just did not look good from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Episcopal dominated almost every area of the game, shooting 55% from the floor, while the Bears shot just 32%. Episcopal also had 38 points in the paint, while the Bears had just 22. Overall, Episcopal seemed to have momentum the whole time, and could not be stopped.

In the first quarter, the Bears came out like they have time and time again this season, cold. They did not seem to learn from the Takoma game about coming out strong, and had many turnovers, leading to easy Episcopal layups. The Bears started off in a huge hole down 0-22 in the first quarter, before Kino Lilly got the Bears going with a nice jump shot assisted by Canin Reynolds. The Bears would then end the quarter on a small 6-0 run, but were down 6-22 after one quarter of play.

The second quarter was much better defensively, but the offense still struggled, and the Bears were only able to score 10 points. The Bears were able to keep Episcopal to just 15 points, but were only able to score 10 themselves, and the scoring deficit grew even more. Justin Patterson had a few big baskets to keep the Bears competitive, but they were still down 16-37 at the end of the half.

In the third quarter, the Bears really struggled to stop Episcopal shooting. 3 of Episcopal 5 made threes were int eh third quarter, and the Bears’ offense was still cold. Chaz Harley stepped up o have a few big baskets, and Canin Reynolds found his shot, but the Bears were still not able to score more than 11, and could not stop Episcopal from scoring 21. This was a quarter to forget for the Bears, and would come out better in the fourth. The Bears trailed 27-58.

The fourth quarter was the only quarter that the Bears won in this game. The offense was much more improved, but the defense still allowed 18 points. Chazz Harley, Kino Lilly, and Canin Reynolds all hit big shots, and Mac Hollensteiner came off the bench to have a huge layup as well, to again avoid a complete blowout in front of the biggest crowd the Bears have gotten all real. The fourth quarter showed that the Bears still have some fight even when they’re down by a lot, and still gave a full effort. The Bears could have easily given up and lost by thirty, but they did not give up, and made the score, while still bad, reasonable and fell 52- 76.

The Bears will return to action as conference play is now in full swing on Tuesday at 6:00 against St. Stephens St. Agnes at home. The Bears lost the two regular season meetings against the Saints, but won a thriller in the quarter final of the IAC playoffs against the Saints, and this rematch will be a huge test, as the Saints are coming off of a win against Bullis, and the Bears are coming off of a tough loss. If the Bears want to beat the Saints for the second straight time, they will need to start off hot, and make sure that they do not have a long scoring drought, as St. Stephens can put the ball in the basket, and will make the Bears pay if they do.