By SPENCER BATES
ALLEGANY — After an early few minutes in which its opposition came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, the game was kept just beyond the reach of the Olean boys basketball team.
The Huskies were able to chip away at the early lead Warren had established, but a complete comeback attempt fell short as they lost 61-49. According to coach Tim Kolasinski, the passive start from his side was the biggest difference maker as the rest of the affair played out mostly like he had hoped.
“We got off to a slow start, we switched things up a little bit, decided to come out and try a little bit of zone, a move on my part that backfired,” Kolasinski said. “(Warren) came out hot from the outside, hit some shots early. We had a couple turnovers early, bad combinations, and dug ourselves a little bit of a hole. But I was really proud of the guys, because from that point on they really switched our defense back up and guys really fought hard offensively. They started taking care of the ball, moving it, sharing it with the team, and getting some good looks. Some of those good looks didn’t go tonight, but I thought the difference between the first few minutes of the game to the rest of the game was really huge.”
The Dragons’ red-hot offense played a big role in putting Olean in an early hole, but its defense was just as influential in the result. In the early minutes they stuffed the interior and took away that aspect of the Huskies’ game.
So, Kolasinski was forced to turn to a more fast-paced approach as to not allow Warren’s defense the time to get set. A tactic that proved successful.
“It was very crucial,” Kolasinski said. “They started out in zone as well and for some reason, we were a little passive early. The ball didn’t move very well and subsequently, we didn’t get very good looks. Once we kind of fought our way back into the game a little bit and got them out of their zone and in the man, I thought we did a good job of getting steals, getting rebounds, and pushing it. That allowed us to move them around a little bit and get some better looks.”
Olean’s Caedyn Tingley (23) looks to drive through the Warren defense. (Spencer Bates)
The energy that Luca Quinn, Olean’s Player of the Game, injected into the Huskies was a big reason for their turn of fortunes as the game progressed. His ability to get downhill and attack the basket led to him recording a team-high 15 points. Mykel Rivera’s size and control in the air made him a reliable option in the Huskies’ quicker offense as well.
“We essentially came out this year and said, for lack of a better term, we’re going to try to be a little positionless,” Kolasinski said. “Mykel’s maybe a little bit bigger than an average high school guard, but essentially, he is a guard on offense because he does have that dynamic of being a little bit of a bigger body. Whether it’s him or Luca or Caedyn (Tingley) looking to penetrate the defense … everybody else is kind of playing off of that. It’s nice to see those three out there looking to attack downhill.”
The Huskies finished their two games in the DeCerbo showcase with two losses, and now sit with a 1-5 overall record. And while the lack of tallies in the win column may not reflect it, there have been bright spots, according to Kolasinski. The key, he noted, is getting his team to play looser for the entirety of the contest.
“We played a pretty tough schedule (so far) and obviously we’re not getting the results that we wanted,” Kolasinski said. “But I think, just naturally, as losses mount, confidence wanes a little bit. And I think we have to figure out a way to understand that we’re getting back in these games once we kind of play a little freer and a little looser, and we got to maybe not be as tight when we come out, understand that there’s 32 minutes in front of us, but we have to play from the beginning, not play tight at the beginning.”
Next up for the Huskies is a road fixture against Fredonia on Jan. 6 with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.
Olean’s Luca Quinn (11) gathers control of the ball as he looks to drive at his defender. (Spencer Bates)
AT ALLEGANY
Warren (61)
Crissey 4 7-10 16, Sitler 7 0-0 16, Thrift 6 1-1 13, McMeans 4 1-2 12, Corey 2 0-2 4. Totals: 23 9-15 61
Olean (49)
Quinn 5 2-5 15, Mest 3 5-6 14, Tingley 4 0-1 10, Rivera 4 0-0 8, Bohdanowycz 1 0-2 2. Totals: 17 7-14 49
War. 18 32 39 61
OL 8 21 32 49Three-point goals: War. 6 (McMeans 3, Sitler 2, Crissey), OL 8 (Quinn 3, Mest 3, Tingley 2); Total fouls: War. 17, OL 13; fouled out: None.
