Perry too tall a task for Raiders to handle

(Continued from Page 7A) scored in the lane.

“I told the guys (at halftime) we needed to stop playing from the NBA 3-point line and we had to be more aggressive against their zone. Attack seams, get the ball to the middle and attack from there,” Coach Thomas said. “We were getting pretty good looks all game, but more missed than went in and that’s the way the ball bounces some- times. Our defense was working. Holding Marshwood to 19 points in a half was excellent, so we didn’t make a lot of adjustments on that end.”

In most games, the third quarter is pivotal.

And, it proved to be for the Raiders.

FA managed just three field goals — an inside hoop by Orlando, and two Catana jumpers (one a 3-pointer) — as Marshwood took command as Perry scored 7 points to lead a 15-7 run.

“Like I said, the shots we were getting were shots I know we can make. We kept our turnover numbers (nine) down this game which was huge, but we simply didn’t make enough shots. We missed some easy ones and Marshwood came out and made some tough ones,” Coach Thomas said. “Next thing you know, we’re down 7 then 10 and it seems like a huge lead because of how disciplined Marshwood is. Some 50/50 balls and momentum plays didn’t end up our way and next thing we knew we were down 10 heading into the fourth.”

Although Catana and Johnson netted 3-pointers, and Saunders added an oldfashioned 3-point play, FA saw the Hawks pull away scoring six times in close.

Although the Raiders had used full-court pressure during the season to ramp up the game’s speed and generate fast-break chances, Coach Thomas decided to play half-court defense.

“After watching a lot of

Marshwood film, and knowing how hard our guys were gonna have to work in the half-court to get stops, I decided not to apply a ton of pressure this game. I respected the ball handling and poise of their guards and didn’t want Perry to get any easy looks off broken pressure,” he said. “I probably should’ve pulled the trigger and got our guys up a little sooner, but some of our main guys logged a lot of tough minutes and I think we got fatigued late in the game.”

It was discouraging to be one-and-done, but Coach Thomas was pleased with his club’s overall effort.

“I’ve watched the game back and I’m so proud of the way our guys played and battled defensively. I didn’t see one bad shot through three quarters of basketball. We got shots in the rhythm of the offense and shots that I know our guys are capable of making, but enough just didn’t go down. Credit to Andrew Perry where credit is due, he dominated that game on both ends of the floor and sometimes, you just run into a great player,” he said.

For seniors Bryce Richardson, Cam Johnson, Lorenzo Catana, Joao Orlando and Geri Daiu, the sound of the final horn putting an end to their high school hoop careers was disappointing. Yet, the coach was proud of their accomplishments, again reaching a tourney appearance at the Expo.

“I loved coaching this team this season. They never gave up or doubted each other for a second. I’m sad to see our senior class go, but am so thankful for all they gave to this program. You know, we lost Will Hallam, who was averaging 20 and 10 down the stretch for us last year, before the season even started with a football injury and these guys stepped up and finished with the same record we had last year,” Coach Thomas noted. “It says a lot about these guys to bring that type of consistency and that never give up mentality that they did. We are going to miss Bryce, Camden, Orlando and Geri a whole lot, but we are bringing back a ton next year and I am already excited to get back to work with these guys.” Stat Lines

Turnovers: Raiders 9, Marshwood 6

Free Throws: Raiders 1-1, Marshwood 7-12.

Rebounds: Raiders 22, Marshwood 24

FA top rebounders: Saunders 6, Catana 5, Orlando 4

Scorers: Catana 13, Saunders 7, Orlando 6, Johnson 6, Richardson 3.

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