Basketball

Higher learning

Lady Bulldogs glide by Lady Comets as each team learns and refines

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — To the casual observer, the game of basketball seems relatively simple: dribble the ball, pass it and shoot it.

And in its most elemental form, basketball is not a complex game. But as Monticello coach Dick O’Neill has pointed out, comparing the game he knew in his days as an All-American center on then national champion Kentucky Wesleyan to today’s version, “People have taken a relatively simple game and made it unnecessarily complicated.”

Back in O’Neill’s heyday, the offense centered on the pick and roll.

Today, a coach’s playbook is filled with a plethora of strategies for offense and defense.

For the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Comets getting set to engage in their first league game on December 18, the game they were about to engage in is a far cry from the one played by O’Neill, not to mention the one originally invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891.

For the Canadian-born physical education instructor working at Springfield College, a YMCA in Massachusetts, the agenda was simple: invent a sport to be played inside during the harsh weather of winter.

Two peach baskets suspended by a 10-foot-high railing became the target for a soccer ball that was to be advanced up the court without running with it. If it stayed in the basket, it was a goal. Thirteen simple rules governed the game in its nascent simplistic state.

But as years went by, the introduction of iron rims, nets, the pivot, restricting a team to five players, the adaptation of the dribble, the free throw, more types of fouls, the press and, eventually, the dunk complicated and enlivened the game, bringing it to its modern state of complexity.

Part and parcel of the game’s changing face has been the emergence of more skilled players who are faster, stronger and bigger.

In its present form, basketball is a game that requires a great deal of learning and practice to field a team that can be competitive.

At this early juncture, for all intents and purposes, Sullivan West and Fallsburg are operating on very different levels, despite the fact that they are common league opponents. That difference would soon manifest itself in Sullivan West’s 78-21 effortless win.

The Lady Bulldogs are a veteran squad with a clear agenda: improve steadily and make the sectionals with the hopes of competing with archrival John S. Burke.

Fallsburg, a team that went winless in 2006-07, is trying to absorb the basics and learn on the fly.

Now coached by Frank Godlewski, who headed up Livingston Manor’s boys teams for years, each game is an attempt to implement basketball strategy that is basic in nature. Although the coach has a head full of plans and plays, his team, which starts only two seniors, has much to learn. Consequently, he has tried to keep things simple thus far.

Following an opening night win over Rhinebeck, Fallsburg, like the other teams in the area, has had an on-again, off-again sequence due to weather-related closings. Whereas Sullivan West has valuable offseason experience and a nucleus of veterans from bygone campaigns, Fallsburg is far behind in terms of developing its own identity.

The game quickly evinced the disparate state of the teams, as Sullivan West trapped Fallsburg’s guards and forced nine first-quarter turnovers. In addition, grabbing the lion’s share of rebounds in the early going netted Sullivan West second- and third-chance opportunities that led to an 18-0 lead before Fallsburg senior Erinn Gilmore broke the drought with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter. Gilmore’s bucket was all Fallsburg could manage in the first frame, as Sullivan West led 22-2 at the end of the frame.

Fallsburg got two points from its high-scoring freshman Shania Swerdling in the second quarter but that was it. The score was 35-4 by the break.

Using effective back-door cuts to dice up Fallsburg’s zone defense, Sullivan West’s Katrina Graby, Sarah Lander, Rachel Houghtaling and Lindsey Murphy all scored to stake the Lady Dawgs to the early lead that they would never relinquish.

Godlewski called time outs early to school his girls on boxing out and watching out for Sullivan West’s cutters, who slipped in and out of the paint with barely a body on them. It was a lot to contend with for the Lady Comets, who would come alive in the third quarter behind the deft outside shooting of Swerdling, who canned a three as part of her five-point production in the period. She added another trey in the fourth quarter on her way to a total of 10 by night’s end.

Sullivan West led 55-15 after three quarters on its way to the 78-21 win.

Sullivan West coach Ron Bernhardt freely subbed in his entire team as the night progressed, looking to give his girls valuable minutes. Bernhardt has already felt the sting of officials who have laden his teams with fouls, forcing him to go to his bench. In a recent game against Class A Cornwall, a bevy of calls against his team erased an early lead over the Lady Dragons and led to a loss.

While foul issues were not a factor in this game, Bernhardt knows he may need his bench players to hold the game together when his veterans have to sit it out. In this game, getting five points from Lindsey Bauer, four from Ella McDonald and two from Kristen Drobysh showed the bench’s evolving efficiency.

Bernhardt was pleased with his team’s passing and unselfish play. The game may never have been in doubt, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a forum for higher learning. Executing all of the little things that comprise a winning game are essential if a team is going to progress. Although this game was a bit ragged in spots, the coach and his team notched a key league win nonetheless.

Fallsburg’s 11-point output in the third quarter was a promising sign, although there is clearly much to do for the Comets, who fell to 1-3 (0-1 OCIAA). Learning to deal with pressure while bringing the ball up the floor should be high on the list. Turnovers abounded as the Lady Comets tried to dribble through defenders, rather than looking to pass. Better ball rotation with a mind toward getting better looks is apt to be another item on Godlewski’s wish list as his team hits the holiday break.

“They’re at a level we’re not at yet. It’s just that simple. Some nights you’re going to play teams that are better than you and they’re obviously a lot better than us,” Godlewski said. “We’re struggling with some things. But if you look at the first four minutes of the game, I thought we did a good job of defending but we simply couldn’t grab a rebound. We’re trying to learn how to master some basic fundamentals and hopefully we’ll get there.”

Bernhard’s assessment was as follows: “We’re coming together. We’re looking for each other and, though we missed a bunch of shots down low, we can attribute much of that to rust,” he said, referencing the team’s sporadic practice of late due to school closing.

Sarah Lander led all scorers with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Returning to her guard position, Lander had drained six threes in a win the night before over Rondout Valley. Houghtaling added 14 points in the Fallsburg win, with Graby and Murphy each pouring in 12.

Sullivan West 5-1 (2-0 OCIAA) downed Liberty 83-17 on December 20. Fallsburg fell to Tri-Valley (4-2) 52-27.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game photos.