NCL competition heats up for boys basketball
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February 11, 2010
Pete DelMedico
The ambitious Knights set a course for an NCL title and a deep run in the playoffs, and by the standards of Captain Kirk, formally known as head coach T.K. Griffith, the 9-5 squad is right on course.
“To win a league championship with such a young team would be a great accomplishment,” said Griffith.
The boys hit a speed bump on their NCL journey Tuesday night in a 43-47 loss to Holy Name. The loss came as a surprise seeing that Trinity, who Hoban defeated 65-44 earlier this season, upset Holy Name.
“By the fourth quarter it was clear Holy Name wanted it more than us,” said junior Nate Greczanik. “It’s relentless play like that from Holy Name that makes the NCL so competitive.”
Friday night at Padua, the boys clinched a 64-58 overtime win despite the absence of their most dominant post player Greg McMullen. Junior Evan Pannell had 20 points, ten of which were clutch free throws.
The squad is on the descent of their roller-coaster regular season with only six games remaining. Three of these games are NCL teams: Elyria Catholic, Lake Catholic and Villa Angela- St. Joseph.
“Our main goals for the rest of the season are to win the NCL and have momentum going into the playoffs,” junior Lucas Sokol said.
The squad will need to win their final three NCL games to have a shot at the familiar league title. Most importantly, a streak of wins will fuel the long playoff run that Hoban hungers for.
No matter how late in the season, there is always room for improvement and in Hoban’s case it is needed on both sides of the court.
“The team needs to work on our defense, rebounding and overall aggressiveness,” said Sokol. “We also haven’t been shooting too well lately.”
Tomorrow night at 7:30 P.M. the boys rumble with Elyria Catholic for their third straight away game.
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