Slow-starting Bristol basketball doomed in loss to New Hope-Solebury (VIDEO)
BRISTOL BORO – They say it’s not how you start but how you finish. However, that’s not always the case.
While the Warriors turned it on down the stretch, a slow start that saw Bristol make just 3-of-10 shots in the first quarter doomed the red and white and visiting New Hope-Solebury (NH-S) took advantage, emerging with a 49-41 Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) victory Tuesday night, Jan. 12 on Wilson Avenue.
“We actually had the better athletic team for once this year. A lot of teams we’ve played this season have better athletes but today, we did,” stated Warriors head coach Matt Gasper.
“We tried to get them to use that to their advantage and they didn’t pick up on it right away.”
According to Gasper, Bristol (4-10, 2-5: BAL) may have been suffering the after-effects of a late-night game the day before in a 49-46 home win over Tacony Academy Charter.
Three turnovers in the first quarter and five in the first half might not seem like a lot but it becomes significant when the opponent holds onto the ball throughout the first two periods, all the while mounting a 28-19 halftime edge.
“They’re a little quicker than us so we decided to play just a straight half-court defense,” explained New Hope head coach Rick Fedele. “It worked out pretty good for us; they made some bad passes and we were able to capitalize on them.”
“I don’t know if we were tired but we were just making mental mistakes, turning the ball over, dribbling off (our) feet,” added Gasper. “We were trying to play a game of basketball that we don’t play.”
The slow start allowed the Lions (5-8, 3-4: BAL) to get off to a 14-7 edge by the end of the first period. New Hope senior Dylan Waterman (9 pts.) scored a pair of field goals in the first quarter and junior Brendan Shadle (8) and sophomore Kevin Dougherty (9) each poured 3-pointers into the basket.
While the Warriors shot just 30 percent from the field in the first period on 3-of-10 shooting, the Lions made six of their 11 first-period shots for a 55 percent shooting average.
Bristol was the team going 6-for-11 from the field in the second period, though a host of fouls hoisted on the Warriors and 9-of-10 free throw shooting by the Lions helped the visitors put another 14 points on the board before the intermission.
After going scoreless in the first period, junior Parker Kelley (7 pts.) came alive in the second, going coast-to-coast after an opening steal then hitting a 3-pointer late in the stanza.
After New Hope stretched its lead to 21-11 on four straight free throws – two by senior Mayes Lane (18 pts.) and two by sophomore Nick Garritano – Bristol closed within six points on a put-back by junior Ronnie Garrison (9 pts.) and another bucket off a steal by sophomore Dayeshawn Cortez (5).
After the teams traded 3-pointers and Harris hit a foul shot to close the Warriors’ deficit to five, the Lions finished the half with four straight free throws, extending their edge to nine heading into the locker room.
Coming back from the break, while Bristol turned up the pressure on defense, the Warriors missed their first six shots from the floor.
Gasper wants his team to stop taking big shots and get to the rim.
“We’ve been telling them, ‘you have to start every quarter the right way; it’s the first three minutes of the quarter, we have to win,’” the coach explained.
“But (New Hope) came out hungry in the second half and we were just more subtle and I think four of our first six shots were threes and we’re not a shooting team where we can do that.
“We were getting to the rim with ease but then, we started settling for threes when they backed into a zone (defense).”
After scoring just three points in the first period, Bristol standout Deonte Harris (18 pts.) came alive in the second, hitting for seven points in the third period and eight in the fourth.
Three times in second half and twice in the third quarter, however, the Lions got easy layups by Lane, who slipped through the Warrior defense on the inbounds play from the visitors’ end of the court.
“That was a total lack of communication,” said Gasper. “They focus on their own mindsets and think they’re the only ones on the court.
“They ran the play three times in a row and we tried to get them to look at that.
“Those easy layups – it’s inexcusable.”
Three-balls by Cortez and Harris, another 3-point play by Deonte and a put-back by Harris to close out the third period kept the game within reach at 38-29 heading into the final frame.
Deonte went coast-to-coast to start the fourth quarter and Parker Kelley hit his own put-back to help the Warriors close within seven midway through the last period.
Harris hit a pair of free throws to close the gap to five but again, New Hope hit Lane on the inbounds from its own end for the easy layup.
Helping the Warriors’ cause at that point was a slew of missed opportunities by the Lions at the foul line. New Hope failed on five of its next six shots from the stripe and Harris hit two more foul shots, drawing Bristol back within four points at 45-41.
The only problem was there was only 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Warriors finally caught on to the long passes by the Lions on the inbounds tosses to Lane, intercepting the ball and sending it back the other way. Try as it might, Bristol could not take advantage of the turnover, missing a baseline 3-pointer and an attempt at a put-back moments before Harris and Lane came crashing to the floor trying to get a hold of a rebound.
“They attacked the basket and they got to the hole real easy two or three times in the fourth quarter,” stated Fedele.
“Every time they made a run, we had to fight it off. Of course, it might have helped if we made our foul shots times in the fourth quarter.
After making just three of its first 12 fourth-quarter free throws, New Hope finished the game with four made foul shots – two by Lane, who led the Lions with 18 points, and a pair from Shadle.
NOTES: Coupled together with 11 points he scored in the previous win over Tacony Charter, Ronnie Garrison’s nine points vs. New Hope brings him to 20 in two games. Harris hit for a whopping 24 points against Tacony.
New Hope-Solebury 49, Bristol 41
(Jan. 12 at Bristol)
New Hope 14 14 10 11 – 49
Bristol 7 12 10 12 – 41
BRISTOL — Parker Kelley 7, Alex Jerbos 2, Deonte Harris 18, Ronnie Garrison 9, Dayeshawn Cortez 5; TOTALS — 15 9-12 41.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY — Dylan Waterman 9, Brendan Shadle 8, Mayes Lane 18, Kevin Dougherty 9, Matt Kolen 3, Nick Garritano 2; TOTALS — 14 18-29 49.
3-POINT GOALS: B — Cortez, Kelley; NH-S — Dougherty, Shadle, Waterman.
