Flat ANC fends off Abington Friends

ABINGTON >> There were a few factors that went into the way Academy of the New Church’s boys’ basketball team played Tuesday evening.

Some of it was tactical, as coach Kevin Givens said his decision to start in a zone hurt the team defensively. Some of it was internal, as the Lions just seemed flat for most of the game, whether it was their shooting or lapses in defense.

ANC did find enough spurts of energy, much of coming from lead guard Justin Anderson’s 23 points as the Lions held off a game effort from host Abington Friends School in a 58-42 win.

“We thought we were oversized and wouldn’t be able to play man-to-man and played a lot of zone,” Givens said. “That was my decision and my mistake. We had to come out of that zone and start putting some pressure on the ball.”

The best way to beat a zone is to hit some outside shots against it and that’s exactly what the Kangaroos did. Jake Stark hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, starting him toward his team-high 19 point effort as the Roos closed off a 14-14 quarter.

A 6-0 run early in the second quarter handed AFS a 20-16 lead over ANC with 5:27 left to play in the first half. Jack Levy came off the bench to hit a pair of first half 3s, but it felt like it was just a matter of time before ANC’s size and length made an impact.

“They had to go to a press to beat us,” Roos coach Steve Chadwin said. “We played them really tough, We didn’t have any answer for Justin or the big guy (Marcus Littles) because of the quickness on the perimeter. Justin is very quick and a good slasher and the big guy had a couple of easy buckets on us.”

It was Anderson and Littles that got ANC rolling to finish the first half as the Lions closed on a 17-0 run to take a 33-20 lead into the break. Anderson had 11 during the run and also turned up his intensity on the defensive end.

For ANC, getting the ball through the bucket was just what it needed to get into its full-court zone press. With long arms and quickness all the way up the floor, it became quite difficult for AFS to move the ball and break the press.

“We were just a little bit out-manned tonight,” Chadwin said. “Their pressure had a lot to do with us losing the ball game, I think. It’s the difference in the game. They have length and it’s hard to see, some of our kids are smaller. But our kids play hard and they try to play the right way.”

Givens said the bouts of flat play is something his team has dealt with all year. While the majority of the Lions are young, they’ve played a lot of minutes, much of it against tough competition. Throughout the season, their ability to deal with that flat play had been up and down.

Givens complimented Abington Friends on its play and strategy. He also said he has to work on finding a better rotation that gets some of his guys rest. Tuesday, he felt his team showed some fight and grit at times, but he still wants to see his guys be able to pick up their level and play with urgency consistently.

“They struggle playing through adversity and struggle playing through tiredness,” Givens said. “They really just don’t know how to push themselves.”

Luckily, anytime they needed a lift, Anderson was there for the Lions. He hit the only two outside shots for ANC, rebounded and fought for the ball and his energy helped open space for Littles to compile 15 points and 15 rebounds.

“He was active, he had a couple of good steals,” Givens said of Anderson. “This was one of his better games. He played well.”

The loss dropped AFS to 6-7, but the Roos have given most opponents a good game. ANC did a good job of taking away options outside of Stark, as Chadwin said they usually spread the wealth around more.

The way Abington Friends played is a lesson for ANC, as it was the kind of effort the Lions need to develop in their skilled, but young players.

“You have to go out every game, no matter who’s your opponent and you have to play hard and play with that mindset,” Givens said. “Our guys being so young, they don’t understand that yet.”