There is an old adage in sports that says “You can try everything, but nothing can really prepare a team for the heightened tempo of a game in front of a rowdy, opposing crowd.”
As the Glacier Bears boys’ basketball team found out Friday and Saturday in Metlakatla, there is some truth in that adage.
Before the first quarter was over on Friday night, Metlakatla had a 22-point lead and was on its way to a 75-30 victory over Haines.
“I gotta hand it to Met,” said head coach Steve Fossman. “They came out trying to make a statement, and it was tough for us. They definitely caught our guys a little off guard.”
Fossman said the essence of the game was not that Metlakatla did anything sophisticated or tricky but, rather, they were able to get Haines to play with “uncontrolled hurriedness.”
“Most of our turnovers in both games were unforced; one too many dribbles into the paint, or a pass that was made in a panic just to get rid of the ball,” Fossman said. “We got ahead of ourselves, but those are things we can correct.”
Despite opening the regular season with two losses, including by an 80-50 score the second night, Haines’ players showed the competitive will that coaches love to see from their team, especially when they are down on the scoreboard.
“I couldn’t be happier with how our guys stayed focused and continued to play hard all the way through the weekend,” said Fossman. “I told ‘em, ‘Hey, we’re gonna pressure these guys,’ and we did. In that second game, we pressured full-court and forced (Metlakatla) into the bad shots and the bad turnovers. It may not be a game winner, but we won the second quarter by a point and that’s something we can build on.”
Fossman also pointed out that even though this team is relatively young, it is fearless. They never stopped going to the basket and they never stopped attacking.
As the team moves forward, questions remain: Can Dylan Swinton successfully maneuver an expanded role as point-forward? Will effort and technique overcome a relative lack of inside height? And, can a team with half its players working together for the first time really gel enough in one season to be a contender?
The search for the answers to these questions begins at the Capital City Classic in Juneau on Dec. 27-30. The team’s first home action will be Jan. 6-7 against Petersburg.