For their second match-up on Saturday, the Edinboro Fighting Scots wheelchair basketball team took the court against the Missouri Tigers. After a loss to them earlier in the day, the Scots looked to change the tide, an effort which kept it close for the entirety of the contest, as they fell 38-37.
Early penetration would hurt the Scots, but as the half went on, adjustments from head coach Jim Glatch slowed that down and the pace slowed as well.
The methodical, effective Mike Adams worked the wing for the Fighting Scots, looking for opportunities to score as fellow Scot Chayse Wolfe had a hard time getting going.
With an early focus on Wolfe, recent addition to the U-23 paralympic developmental team, the Tigers made sure to bottle him up, forcing him to work hard for everything he wanted.
Another starter for the Scots, Will Speed, tends to play on the wing and top of the key while ball dominant players like Mike Adams can work the wings and look for scoring opportunities.
A weekend of games can be challenging in itself, putting players through four games in two days, but Speed feels that it’s just what the team needs to continue improving.
“Coach Glatch likes to keep us at about five [games played]; it allows us to really work on being a down-the- stretch team,” Speed said. “We’ve really gotten better at being a better second half team and being able to play through the fatigue. It’s something we really pride ourselves on.”
After falling behind in the first half, the Scots never lost sight of Missouri, as their quest for payback would push them into crunch-time minutes as the game winded down.
A blown layup in the final minutes would have tied the game for the Scots.
Sophomore Alex Salah would provide a much-needed spark off the bench, shortly after entering the game for the first time, as he whipped a one-handed pass into the paint for a wide-open layup.
Wolfe’s night on the offensive end may have been anemic for a player like himself, but in all other aspects he worked to make up for it. He would dominate the glass in the second half and played defense against some of Missouri’s best players.
On Missouri’s side of the ball, guard James Bohnett would create the most havoc, finding ways to get to loose balls first, putting together a good game offensively.
“The last time we played Missouri in Kansas, James went 10-12, so we really wanted to make sure he didn’t get good looks when they were on offense. Our game plan was to put pressure on their two shooters as soon as they touched the ball,” Speed added.
Olympic gold medalist Trevon Jennifer would grace the sidelines all weekend, performing his job as an assistant coach for the program. Speed was quick to comment on what Jennifer means to this team and the program.
“He knows the offense and the defense that Coach Glatch wants us to run and he has experience doing it, but he also has the experience of playing overseas and for the U.S. team...He has a way about him where he just says the right thing at the right time to get us focused and handle the task at hand,” Speed finalized.
Michael Lantinen can be reached at sports.spectator@gmail.com.
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