Down with just over two and a half left to go in the first quarter, NDCL found the spark it needed on the road against Andrews Osborne on Dec. 6.
The defense switched into a full-court press, and soon the Lions were on every Phoenix pass.
A 12-2 run ended the frame and put NDCL ahead for good as the Lions won, 68-47, in the nonconference tangle.
With the slow start for the starters, Coach Pat Vuyancih made a full-sail change as he sent in five players from the bench for all the starters in the opening frame. This was the case for a majority of the game as the Lions (2-1) made changes like a hockey line rather than one at a time.
The shifts worked, as it kept fresh legs rotating on and off the floor for the rest of the game and allowed the Lions to maintain their lead.
“When we substituted our second unit in, it brought some more energy,” Vuyancih said. “There were a couple young guys like Ryan Lipowski who scored some hoops real quick. We’re trying to develop a total team concept here, and the second group bringing that energy allowed for the first group to settle down and when they went back in, they had the intensity to match. That allowed us to make the big push, and it let us keep all the kids involved.”
Another thing that allowed the Lions to pull away was their perimeter shooting as they connected on 11 3-pointers. Four of those came courtesy of junior Evan Dugger, who finished with 19 points.
After he hit 79 3s a season ago, Dugger knows now teams have a better scouting of him and he needs to change up his game. He had several cuts to the paint as well as in transition.
He had 19 points and made four threes. Here’s Evan Dugger (@edugger13) on his and @NDCLathletics performance tonight in their win over Andrews Osborne #NHBasketball pic.twitter.com/mfdAWcVAtv
— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) December 7, 2022
“You have to mentally prepare a little more than before,” Dugger said. “You also have to be able to diversify your game a little bit, pump-fake and go to the hoop. It also helps to get rebounds and get some easy ones. At practice, we’ve been swinging a lot in the halfcourt, especially against the zone. We don’t take the first shot that we get, and that’s been a focal point for us.”
Noah Rogers was also a key component in the victory as he had a game-high 20 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double. Having a big inside like Rogers to corral those misses from deep allowed for several second-chance shots that the Lions were able to convert.
Ball movement has also been a key component for NDCL, which it used against Andrews Osborne that got Rogers inside.
He was just a rebound short of a double-double but Noah Rogers highlighted his team getting him the ball through the zone and allowed him to have a game high 20 points in @NDCLathletics victory #NHBasketball pic.twitter.com/94l0blWigg
— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) December 7, 2022
“I’m used to handling that pressure and finding my way into the zone,” Rogers said. “My guys did a great job finding me, and I kept shooting the ball. Going against a 2-3 zone like Andrews Osborne was playing, it’s important to get the ball side-to-side because that opens up some gaps and allows me to get in and have those opportunities to score.”
Even though they started strong, once NDCL turned on the press, Andrews Osborne (0-4) struggled to find an answer to it. The Phoenix committed 22 turnovers in the contest, eight of which were in the third quarter.
Even with their ball control issues, the Phoenix were able to keep the game close in a large part due to the performance of Elijah Petrosian, who had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. With him being the lone starter back from a season ago, Coach Rudy Kirbus knew it was going to take time for his team to develop.
It was finally a good start for AOA but they weren’t able to hang on with NDCL’s press. Head coach Rudy Kirbus talks about where @AOA_Athletics needs to improve as well as the double-double by Elijah Petrosian #NHBasketball pic.twitter.com/jjn6IQY4Fe
— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) December 7, 2022
“Our biggest issue so far this season has been starting slow,” Kirbus said. “We knew they were going to pressure us, and we had a plan for it. But we got a little rattled, and they did a good job. They were able to execute, while we weren’t. But that helps us as an independent, as we get to see all these different looks and work against them to better ourselves for the postseason.”
Also in double figures for NDCL was Jaxon Mangelluzzi, who had 10 points. For Andrews Osborne, its next highest was Teo Sanz Maristany with eight.
The Lions stay on the road when they travel to Cardinal on Dec. 9 for another out-of-conference clash. Andrews Osborne opens a three-game road set Dec. 8 when it heads to Open Door.
