Roy-Hart hangs on at Wilson

(Andy Xaspos hits from the stripe to put Roy-Hart up two points in the closing seconds)

 

Often times in sports, we jump the gun.  A team looks great in its season opener and is quickly predicted to be a championship contender.  A player shines in a game and scores a game-high in points, suddenly he's a First-Teamer.  A team that's coming off a good stretch gets routed in a game and magically the coach is a bum and doesn't run anything.  Or how about when you're watching a game and one team has a double-digit lead for a long stretch, and you begin to think it's over, despite plenty of time left on the clock. Fortunately for Wilson, its basketball team doesn't jump the gun - and nearly pulled out an improbable comeback just by fighting until the game was over.

 

 Roy-Hart controlled the action for nearly three quarters in Wilson, and then hung on to escape with a 59-57 win over a resilient Lakemen team.  The win improves the Rams to 5-1 in the N-O, while Wilson slips to 3-3 in league games.

 

Andy Xaspos converted a three-point play for Roy-Hart in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to give his team a 52-41 lead.  The Rams had been in front by at least eight points the entire second half at that point and were up by as many as 13 points.  Wilson scored the next five points on baskets from Ryan Bradley and Alex Fox, along with a free throw by Fox, which got the home fans in the Zipp Gym stirred up, as suddenly it was only a six point game.

 

With the Lakemen fans thinking comeback and the Lakemen players focusing on Xaspos, the Rams' senior leader drew an extra defender his way and then found an open Justin Heschke, who finished for Roy-Hart.  After a stop, the Rams' got another score from Chris Anderson, and with just 2:35 left in the game, were back up ten, 56-46.

 

Before you could even think to yourself 'this one's over', Wilson got the ball back down court and Fox scored again, this time drawing contact on the way, and converted the 'And 1'.  Another Lakemen stop and a pair of free throws earned by Connor Seeley made it 56-51 with under two minutes to play.  Xaspos responded for the Rams to make it 58-51, and it ended up being a crucial score, as it would stand as the game-winner.

 

Bradley & Seeley would both score again for the Lakemen in the final minute, with Seeley's points coming on a trey swished from the wing with 48 seconds on the clock.  Andrew Eames closed the gap to just one point for Wilson, 58-57, on a free throw with 15 seconds to go.  After Roy-Hart missed the front end of a 1 & 1, Wilson had a chance for the win, but turned the ball over in its own end.  Xaspos added a free throw with 1.7 ticks showing on the game clock to make it a two-point game, but Wilson still had one last shot at the win - a desperation heave from three-quarter court that really had a chance, but missed the mark.

 

"Credit to Wilson, they made some plays," Roy-Hart coach Joe Pawlak said.  "I really thought they beat us up the floor - they're great at that.  They make a couple baskets, the hoop starts to look big, and that's how they made a run."

 

Prior to the Lakemen willing themselves to the near comeback, Roy-Hart had done an excellent job of limiting the hustle plays that make Wilson such a consistent program.  For most of the game, the Rams were very active on the glass and did a great job of getting back defensively when they gave up the rebound.  

 

"Defense & rebounding," Pawlak said.  "I think that's what we hang our hat on, it's what we want to build this program on."

 

Roy-Hart has a well-rounded team that has a legitimate chance to make an appearance at Buff State this year in Class B2.  Justin Heschke, Ben Maynard, and Jacob Bruning all scored seven points in the Rams' win and each one looked confident with the ball.  At 6-10, Chris Anderson gives Roy-Hart a strong post presence that few teams have.  The senior big man scored in every quarter and totaled 10 points.  But the player that truly makes them go is Xaspos, who finished with a game-high 21 points.  The senior point guard is a four-year varsity player averaging nearly 22 points per game, but his contributions go far beyond his scoring.  Xaspos, who always draws attention from opposing defenses, was face-guarded the entire contest.  He used the extra attention to get his teammates involved, threading passes to teammates under the basket, on the perimeter, and in transition.  His defensive timing created multiple Lakemen turnovers, which helped the Rams build their lead over three quarters.

 

"He's extremely unselfish," Pawlak said of Xaspos.  "I've seen every defense in the book for him, but he really has gotten to the point where he's a true point guard.  I trust him and put the ball in hands, whether to make a play for himself or for others.  He's a complete player and he just wants to win and will do whatever it takes for us to be successful."

 

Bradley led Wilson with a game-high 21 points, while Alex Fox added 12 points in the loss.  

 

The Lakemen started freshman Steven Frerichs at point guard, playing in just his second varsity contest after receiving the call-up from head coach Brett Sippel.  Frerichs, who was guarded by Xaspos most of the game, showed major composure throughout, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, scoring eight points, handling the ball well, and continually feeding the post.  With Bradley, who is going to be one of the best to ever play at Wilson, being just a sophomore, and Frerichs now gaining varsity experience, the future should be very bright for the Lakemen.

 

Point Totals

Roy-Hart:  Andy Xaspos 21, Chris Anderson 10, Justin Heschke 7, Jacob Bruning 7, Ben Maynard 7, Brendon Hess 4, Matt Borel 3

Wilson:  Ryan Bradley 21, Alex Fox 12, Steven Frerichs 8, Connor Seeley 7, Andrew Eames 7, Jordan Stoelting 2

 

-centercourt

Comments

[Mary Diamond]

This is the best basketball season for Royhart in a long time!!!