The Corry Boys Basketball Team faced off against the talented Warren Dragons for the third time this season. After we found out that we earned the 6th seed in the 4A Bracket on Sunday, we went to work trying to figure out some new ways to try and slow down the dragons. Defensively we knew we had to get back in transition, and now allow them to play the fast paced game that they love to play. 

We decided that we would play a 1/3/1 defense, in which we were able to slow them down. they had 35 points at the half, and that was 5 points more than what they had at the end of the first quarter the game before. To change things up, we started Landon Deane and put him at the top of the 1/3/1 with his length and athleticism. He did a great job and also gave us another scoring option. We were down 8-11 at the end of the first with about 15 seconds to go and they nailed a corner 3 point shot to go up 8-14. 

In the previous two games we played against Warren we allowed 5 guys to get into double figures scoring, and we wanted to eliminate that and only have a few. We did that tonight only allowing 3 guys. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough for us. 

Offensively, we wanted to slow the game down. We wanted to take our time and milk the clock a little bit. We did that, but we did have a concern and that was taking care of the ball. We wanted to milk the clock, but ensure that we would be able to get a shot up everytime down the court. In the first quarter we had 7+ turnovers and still was in the game. Taking care of the ball was our biggest issue all year long against great teams. The games that we lost (Girard, GM, Franklin, Oil City, Warren, and one game versus CASH) we couldn't control the ball offensively. These are all against great teams, and one loss versus CASH that we all wish we could have back. Not taking anything away from CASH they deserved that win, and played better than us that game BUT in our eyes it is not one we should have lost. 

Leading the way offensively tonight and the season was Markus Lambert. Markus finished his senior season off in style with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Based on the records I have accumulated in the last 9 years, Markus scored 439 points this year, which puts him second all time in scoring for a season behind Brandon Mitchell who had 609 points in 2001-2002. Markus really did a nice job scoring the basketball this season, and proved to be one of the top 10 scorers in D10. Markus Finished 8th in Corry History with 890 career points. 

Rylan Smith finished the night with 6 points, but had an outstanding Corry Boys Basketball Career. He finished 358 points on the season, and is the 5th highest leading scorer in school history with 1,048 points. Not only did Rylan Score the ball well, but he led the team in every other category besides scoring and charges taken. He led the team in Assists (4.6), Rebounding (5.1), Steals (2.6), & Deflections (60). 

There is no doubt that if we didn't have these two on the court we would not be the team we were this year. They both made huge impacts to the team, and enabled us to compete at a high level this season.

Other scorers tonight were: Landon Deane with 7 points, Kamdyn Moon with 6 points, Nick Scouten with 6 points, Cameron Ricketts with 2 points, and Jack Albers with 2 points. 

Senior, Tavon Kornikoski made huge steps this year. He was very dependable on defense and was our team's best source of communication. He knows the game well, and was able to keep us all on the same page on the court. 

Senior, Jack Albers overcame some struggles early in the season with his health and was able to get some decent minutes during the season. I am proud of him for sticking things out and playing hard when it was his turn to get in the game. 

When you see these seniors out and about, be sure to congratulate them on a great Corry Boys Basketball Career. They will truly be missed wearing the orange and black! 

For the underclassmen: 

Karson Chamberlin: He is the energy that every team wants to have on the court. He goes 110% percent and gives it all he has. At times we were able to see his offense come to life, but this year he made his biggest impact on the defensive side. He had close to 20+ offensive charges taken, which would be a record the nine years I have been coaching. His willingness to get on the ground and fight for every loose ball is by far the best on the team. We look forward to seeing him grow, and be even better this coming year. 

Kamdyn Moon: He showed everyone what he is about. He ended the season with 72 three point field goals made, which landed him within the top 3 in D10. He averaged 12 points a game, and his defense and playmaking ability improved as the season went on. I am excited to see what he can do in the next couple of years. He knows the following seasons will be much more difficult to get open, but he will also continue to improve and expand his game.

Cameron Ricketts: He came off the bench for me as the 6th man for the majority of the year this year. He is a true team player. He knew a lot of his minutes were based off of matchups. He took the minutes he had earned and made the most of them. He is right where he needs to be defensively, and we hope that he can improve his offensive side of the game in the off-season! 

Landon Deane, Nick Scouten, and Keaton Frisina are other notable underclassmen that earned some important varsity minutes this season. These guys were put into games that had high intensity and had a lot on the line. I like the way they responded and I hope they continue to improve their game, and are ready to play some big minutes in years to come. 

Other notable underclassmen I look forward to seeing improve this off season is Parker Trask and Landon Atha. They both have a ton of potential and love the game of basketball. They will work extremely hard, and will see a lot of varsity time this summer. As of right now, I see 8+ underclassmen that have a lot of potential and it will be interesting to see who rises to the occasion and puts themselves in a place to play varsity basketball next winter. Corry Boys Basketball looks bright.