Game Four: Defence still a work in progress as Shooting Stars drop third straight
After the 98–93 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Sea Bears on June 2, Scarborough Shooting Stars (1–3) head coach Chris Exilus emphasized the need for “better focus” on defence moving forward.
However, for the second straight game, allowing extended scoring runs and relying on late comeback attempts persisted in the Shooting Stars’ 96–84 loss to the Saskatchewan Rattlers (2–1) on June 4.
“We got to look at the film, look at what we’re doing, [to] try and stop their top scorers,” Exilus said following the loss. “We haven’t done a good job the last two games.”
While the message was clear after the June 2 home opener to be more responsible defensively, implementation and consistency are still forthcoming.
After Sea Bear (and former Shooting Star) Teddy Allen torched Scarborough with 42 points one game ago, Saskatchewan’s Justin Wright-Foreman scored 36 points, setting a Rattlers single-game record.
“My teammates had the ultimate trust in me, coach had the ultimate trust in me,” Wright-Foreman said after the game. “I just went out and played my game.”
Wright-Foreman’s shooting hovered around 60% FG throughout the game, which included going 6/12 for three.
For the Shooting Stars, their offence centered around Cat Barber again, who finished with 27 points, four assists and two steals while shooting 64% FG.
“We need to refresh, especially losing like this two times in a row,” Barber said.
Scarborough got its secondary scoring from Kassius Robertson with 17, Thomas Kennedy’s 12 and Kalif Young with 10.
After posting 20 points or more in his past two games, Jalen Harris finished with nine points on 3/11 shooting. Harris added four rebounds and committed five turnovers.
Entering Target Score Time, the Shooting Stars were down 86–64.
The possibility for another comeback began after a series of slam dunks from Kennedy. The momentum led Scarborough on its late scoring run to cut the deficit to 10 at 94–84.
Rattlers Jermel Kennedy could have sealed the game after a Kameron Chatman foul, but went 1–2 at the line.
The attempted comeback ended when Malik Benlevi scored a hook shot to cap off the game.
Despite some late miscues that allowed Scarborough to cut into the commanding lead, the Rattlers essentially controlled the game for all four quarters.
For every momentum swing, including eight unanswered points from Barber to finish the second quarter, the Rattlers would storm back. This was made evident by a series of threes and creative drives to the basket after halftime to push the lead to 69–54.
“I feel like we got to do better at the beginning and throughout the game to maintain leads and win the basketball game,” Barber said. “I’m not a person that dwells on something, so we got to move forward and win this next one.”
The team is set to go back on the road until June 18, and step one is going back to the drawing board.
“We need to get some good practice sessions in,” Exilus said. We got to understand that at this level, when one offensive player goes by a defender, everybody else has to be in sequence.”
Specifically, Exilus said the team will work extensively on coverages.
“We were a little off in our rotations and we have a couple days to clean that up.”
A bright spot in the game was Kennedy’s best performance to date for Scarborough. The reigning USPORTS Player of the year added six rebounds and two assists to his 12 points.
His dunks energized the crowd, who continued to cheer on the team amid the mounting deficits.
“If the plays I make can get the home crowd back in it, that’s important because everyone wants homecourt advantage,” Kennedy said. “So if that gives us more energy throughout the game down the stretch, then we clearly need it and I’m happy to be doing that.”
The Shooting Stars play next against the Niagara River Lions (1–3) on June 8 at the Meridian Centre.
For the road trip ahead, Kennedy said the focus remains the same: improve and get back in the win column.
“My mindset coming to this team was always impact and winning,” Kennedy said. “Clearly we haven’t been winning and have had a little bit of struggles so far. If me performing the way I have been is going to do that, then I’ll keep playing that way and if I need to make a little change to my role, I’ll be open to whatever the solution is.”
After a June match-up in Montreal against the Alliance, the Shooting Stars return home to host the Brampton Honey Badgers on June 18.
