B-Ball Team Pulls Off Win Despite Hiccups

Mid-Game Turnovers Nearly Cost Stingers Victory

SportsRichie Daly — Published November 22, 2011

The first half proved to be an uptempo game with both teams finding the hoop with ease. But it was the Stingers who came out on top in the first quarter, pressuring the Laval offense into taking contested shots and making them miss more than usual.

Yet turnovers got the best of the Stingers, losing possession 11 times in the first half alone, allowing Laval back into the game. While ConU enjoyed a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter, that margin had been narrowed to 4 by halftime, as the score stood at 42-38.

“We made a lot of bad passes and a lot of poor decisions,” said Desmarais, acknowledging his team’s mistakes.

While ConU started the second half well, Laval eventually caught up, at one point pulling ahead 62-60.

“They were out-hustling us, and they are more physical than us,” admitted Stingers guard Decee Krah.

“We gotta work on playing a full 40 minutes. When we play to our capabilities we can beat anybody. When we’re not we’re just an average team.” Stingers guard Kyle Desmarais

Yet after losing momentum in the third, they quickly regained it in the fourth with Stingers forward Evens La Roche contributing both offensively and defensively to finish with an impressive 16 points, six assists, six rebounds, seven steals and two blocks.

“La Roche was all over the court today,” said Stingers head coach John Dore. “I didn’t even realize he had 16 points. It was all the little things that he did that helped to make us successful.”

After a short scoring burst, Stingers guard Jerome Blake scored an off-balance three pointer while being fouled, forcing Laval into a timeout and putting the Stingers up 82-65, ultimately putting the game to bed.

Desmarais was happy to get the victory, but noted his team still has a ways to go before making it to Nationals. “We gotta work on playing a full 40 minutes,” he said. “When we play to our capabilities we can beat anybody. When we’re not we’re just an average team.”

The Stingers close out the semester with the Bishop’s University Gaiters in town on Friday, Nov. 25. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m.