Sports Rush

I was perched up on the bleachers watching the Spartans man-handle UFV at the cascades Envision gym. Right from the beginning the Spartans went to work on the in-experienced cascades starting 5. As I was watching the game, I started to wonder how the cascades managed to win 5 of their last 6 games. Was it guess work, or just pure luck?

I am not exaggerating this, because, what I saw today was disappointing and just simply put, weak basketball. In the first three quarters they struggled with their shooting, they had no chemistry, too many turnovers, and incomplete passes. The Spartans were strong on the boards, recorded less turnovers and took more shots from the free throw line.

The cascades tried to dig their way out of the hole in the 4th quarter, running a full court press defense, turning over steals and forcing the Spartans to miss easy shots. Finally there was some hope for the team but it all came from the bench.

I felt that the cascades bench played better than the starting 5. I think coach Craddock needs to re-adjust his roster and allow his bench more playing time, if they expect to win more games. The Spartans were the better team in this game. The experience of their starting 5, showed on the court. They were more disciplined and executed a perfect ¼ zone defense to hold the cascades at bay and win the game.

After this loss, UFV faces a tougher road a head as they travel to meet SFU clans on November 15, 2008. While the Spartans travel to Kamloops to meet Thompson Rivers on the same day.