By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BRADFORD, PA – After splitting their first two games of the season on the road, the Bradford boys’ basketball returned to the nest to host Warren. However, their homecoming was spoiled as the Dragons dominated the Owls, handing them a 56-38 loss.
Playing without any senior leadership and only two juniors a consolation, the Owls’ inexperience showed early. While Warren got to work using crisp ball movement to weave up the court and around the perimeter, Bradford struggled to get into a rhythm, falling behind 10-2 in the first two and a half minutes. To make matters worse, the Owls failed to adjust to the aggressive defense, which produced six steals in the opening quarter for 10 Warren points in transition.
As the Dragons laced shot after shot and seemingly got everything they wanted, the Owls were left in the dust, ending the first quarter of play down by 20.
“They’re just starting to get varsity minutes now. I mean, we start three sophomores and two juniors so it’s a different game. Three of those guys didn’t play a lick of varsity last year” said Bradford head coach John Bennardi. “The turnovers were just a matter of us standing still on offense. We just have to get used to pressure and understand when someones in your face like that, you have to go at them.”
Ball management became a point of focus from then on for Bradford and while they were able to cut down on their turnovers – the Owls gave up just one turnover in the second quarter – they still couldn’t put the ball in the basket. Even with looks at point blank range, Bradford faced unlucky bounces, in-and-out misses and long rebounds that fell in the hands of the Dragons.
In the meantime, Warren continued to expand their lead with long outlets and a handful of made jumpers from beyond the arc. Going into halftime, the Dragons had built a 41-10 advantage.
“We came out of halftime and basically what I told them was, ‘this is where you test yourself. You can roll over and die, you can stop playing basketball or you can come out and make a statement,’” said Bennardi. “There’s no quit in these guys. They’re buying in and want to win as much as anybody.”
Facing a running clock, the Owls found some resilience heading into the second half. While the third quarter went by without much action – Bradford and Warren combined a seven points – the Owls took charge in the fourth.
Tyler Simmons fights through traffic for a point-blank shot at the net during Bradford’s 56-38 loss to the Dragons. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
After giving up two points on an offensive rebound, Bradford shut down the Dragons. Starting with back-to-back steals from Evan Troisi and Marcus Terwilliger that produced four points in transition, the Owls sparked their best scoring run of the season. Picking off passes in a three-quarters-court press and cleaning the offensive glass for second chance points, Bradford scored 15 unanswered points. However, this showcase was not enough to overcome the mountainous deficit and as the final buzzer sounded, the Owls tallied their second loss of the year.
“It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. We’re going to be humming here soon. You can see it coming,” said Bennardi. “These guys work hard. They don’t quit and they didn’t quit today at all.”
Danny Marasco led the Owls in scoring with 14 points, while Tyler Simmons and Carter Roulo both had seven.
Bradford will have two more chances to tally a win at home this week. On Wednesday, they will host Kane before having to take on Punxsutawney the following night.
“We’re going to get better every game. We’re going to get better and better and better and I think by mid-January, if not early January, we’re going to be a whole different team than we are right now,” said Bennardi. “We have a tough one on Wednesday and then we turn around and have another tough one Thursday with a league game. So we better be ready but this is how it rolls.”
AT BRADFORD
Warren (56)
Sizler 6 0-0 14, Crissey 6 0-0 13, Woterson 3 0-0 7, McMeans 2 0-2 6, Zdakko 2 0-0 5, Thrift 2 0-0 4, Wood 0 3-3 3, Eaton 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 5-7 56
Bradford (38)
Marasco 7 0-0 14, Roulo 3 1-1 7, Simmons 3 0-0 7, Troisi 3 0-0 6, Terwilliger 2 0-0 4. Totals: 18 1-3 38
Warren 26 41 51 56
Bradford 6 10 23 38
Three-point goals: WRN (7) Sizler 2, McMeans 2, Woterson, Crissey, Zdakko, BRD (1) Simmons; Total fouls: WRN 7, BRD 9; fouled out: None.
JV: Warren 51, Bradford 19
