By George Liley
York University’s Basketball 2nds found themselves on the wrong end of a dominant 57-80 defeat at the hands of York St. John last Wednesday. The local derby was comfortably dictated by the visitors, and questions must now be asked of York’s defence, which was increasingly caught out by the St. John attacks.
The first quarter began promising for York, with Ron Chen breaking through early and converting to put the home side ahead; however his miss from distance soon after gifted St John’s an attack of their own, which they duly converted. John Taptas spurned two free throws early into the quarter for York, as St. John’s aggressive play gave them the advantage, with several terrific shots from just inside the 3 point line. York’s Matt Gosden found some fine form late in the quarter, demonstrating skill and attacking prowess to close St. John’s lead, however a costly error from Toby Humphries saw him intercepted within his own half, allowing the travellers to convert and find a commanding 18-10 lead after the first quarter.
St. John continued with their fine attacking display, as they were able to dominate their oppositions defence. Humphries was caught out once again in a dangerous position, whilst York conceded unnecessary fouls in frustration. York were however able to use Chen effectively, and his frequent bursts down the centre caused problems from St. John. John McStravick found success with a fine shot, and ended the quarter playing well, converting a free throw to help his side. St. John however were relentless and managed a 3 pointer with just seconds of the quarter remaining to lead 24-36.
The pace of the game increased rapidly in the third quarter, with both teams hungry for victory. Gosden found success, however York’s defence withered with only a single man behind the play. St. John were able to attack at ease, often taking advantage of sloppy play that gifted them chance after chance. Taptas mustered an unsuccessful long-range effort, and McStravick coolly finished to end an extremely difficult quarter for York, that witnessed a relentless display of attacks from the visitors. Heading in at 35-66, the game was all but over.
The fourth quarter saw York battle back, with Taptas looping home a terrific shot from range and Gosden scoring on the York counter-attack. St. John however never looked in any trouble, and held on comfortably to secure a 57-80 victory.
The result is a bitterly disappointing one for York, however a determined final quarter offers hope for their future fixtures. One must question their defence, however, as at times St. John were able to score at will and break through with ease. York University captain Neil Chauhan expressed his disappointment, stating “we came out slow and we made some sloppy errors. I think we certainly struggled with the size of the opposition, however, that really is no excuse for silly mistakes. Hopefully we can get a win next time and show that we can consistently produce the kind of play we did in the final quarter”.