The Game: Bixby vs Union
The game started fast with both teams wanting to run and gun. Union jumped out to an early lead that grew as large as 10 in the first quarter but the Spartans answered going on a 14-4 run to take…
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Continue ReadingThe game started fast with both teams wanting to run and gun. Union jumped out to an early lead that grew as large as 10 in the first quarter but the Spartans answered going on a 14-4 run to take the 22-20 advantage at the end of one. Union took over the game in the second quarter as they held Bixby to only 10 points in the quarter. They played tough defense and caused turnovers which led to their 44-32 first half lead. Union gave the game no doubt in the third quarter as they opened up a huge lead. Bixby fought back and went on a small run to end the quarter but were still trailing 63-46. The fourth quarter was all but done and dusted when Luke Haas fouled out for Bixby. They struggled to get anything going without him beside the occasional Frederickson three. Union put in the reserves to cap off the game with a little more than two minutes remaining. The final score was 90-61 in favor of the Redskins.
Five Takeaways
Senior Leadership
Union started five seniors against the Spartans and it paid dividends fast as they looked comfortable from the start. They jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter. They also showed their experience being able to handle a big Bixby run to end the quarter and bounce back. The experience showed throughout the game as they were able to build a big lead into the third quarter. They kept playing their game and doing the fundamentals right and it was key to the Redskins win tonight.
He’s a Freshman (x2)
Bixby started two freshmen that both looked to make a big impact from the start. They started both Luke Haas and Parker Frederickson and from the start they looked comfortable. They both played above their years and showed to be a big part of what Bixby is doing this year. Haas was dominant on both sides of the ball and showed a confidence that many of the seniors on the court did not even have. Fredickson is a spot up shooter that has range. When he found his spots on the court he hardly ever missed. He also showed vision with the ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly. Haas finished with 13 points and Frederickson finished with 14 points.
Foul Trouble: Bixby
Foul trouble limited a lot of time for two Bixby’s better players in the first half. Luke Haas and Xavier Glenn both picked up two fouls in the first half and it made Bixby’s coach, Sam Fairchild make a tough choice. While both of them still played some minutes they were definitely limited from what they would have gotten. Haas’ impact was felt when he was off the court because of how dominant he is. The Bixby offense wants to find Haas if at all possible and without him on the court they struggled in the second quarter. Haas’ foul trouble followed him into the second half as he wound up fouling out with more and four minutes left to play.
Union
Union wants to get out and run with the ball. They want to score fast and get the other team to make turnovers. They are best when they can dictate a fast tempo. When they play fast they get easy shots at the baskets which often times ignite the crowd. Although Union want to play fast they can set up in their offense and knock down their shots. When Union runs their offense they do rely more on low percentage shots compared to when they are running their shots are high percentage shots. Union also has a very good transition defense. They were able to get back whenever Bixby was able to turn them over.
Bixby
Bixby also likes to run with the ball which made for an entertaining game. They just struggled to run with it when their stars were sitting out in foul trouble. Whenever they have their first team out their they strived when they played fast. Their abilty to play fast and get to the free throw line is what was able to keep them in this game after falling down by so much at the end of the first half. Bixby could not overcome Union’s transition defense to be able to get back into the game.