Red Lions roar a bit too much for fledgling Seahawks
“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone,” is a saying that rang far too true for the Sussex Academy boys’ basketball team with its 61-24 loss in the home opener Dec. 7 against Red Lion Christian Academy.
Absent from the Seahawks’ game was the entry pass. A simple term and a basic offensive component, the success rate of the maneuver goes a long way in determining who wins possession. Facing a well-coordinated Red Lion defense, Sussex Academy was unable to crack the fortification most of the night and had to make a living on the outside or driving hard in the lane.
“We forced it a lot,” said Sussex Academy coach Brad Leinbach. “And we don’t have a strong low post presence yet, so we’re not looking to that entry pass to create our offense. We were disappointed those passes were being forced.”
Seahawks sophomore Tate Sickler was the primary ball handler, beginning the night by aggressively attacking the middle of the Red Lions defense. He led the team with 12 points. However, the style of play took a toll on Sickler, as Red Lion defenders began beating him to spots. Following a couple of charges, Sussex Academy began working the ball on the perimeter a bit more.
“Some of the things we can do to create that look and create some openings is to move the ball more and keep moving on the outside,” Leinbach said. “We need more player movement on the outside because we’ve got some things in place, but with the lack of energy, we were not getting the motion.”
Players certainly weren’t afraid to shoot, but in a sport where some nights everything falls and other nights teams can’t seem to buy a bucket, the Seahawks experienced the latter. Going 5-for-16 from inside the arch, 1-for-16 from three, and 11-for-22 from the free-throw line stalled the Seahawks’ offense and forced them to defend an electric Red Lion transition game.
Sophomore Christian Wright led the team with six rebounds and tied Sickler in blocks with one. Sickler also nabbed two steals in the contest.
Leinbach said this is just one of those games you burn the tape and move on from.
The Seahawks fell to Wilmington Charter 74-23 Dec. 9. They will play at Laurel at 5:45 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12.
