ARGYLE - It's been three years since Brodhead senior Trent Gerlach played a competitive basketball game at the high school level.
Now that Gerlach has traded in his football pads for basketball shoes, he is getting back into a rhythm on the court after scoring a team-high 13 points to help the Cardinals come back and knock off Argyle 46-39 in the season opener Tuesday night.
"It's a lot different than football," Gerlach said. "I'm still rusty. I'm trying to get back into it. It was a good start for us. We definitely wanted to get that first win and get on a roll. Every game will be a dogfight."
Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer understands it's still a work in progress after graduating 11 seniors last year.
"It will be an absolute learning curve," Kammerer said. "I think kids realized that playing at this level is a lot different than JV or middle school which is the last time some of them played. They got the monkey off their back. We will have to get better and do the little things better."
Brodhead freshman Ned Slocum grabbed a clutch offensive rebound and scored on a layup with about 5 minutes to go to tie the game at 39 and ignite a 9-0 spurt to end the game. The Cardinals' surge was fueled by a 1-3-1 zone that forced three straight Orioles' turnovers late in the fourth quarter. Brodhead sophomore Josiah DeLorme, who added 10 points, scored down low and senior Danny Lewis knocked down a turnaround jumper with 1:33 to go to give the Cardinals a 43-39 lead.
"The 1-3-1 zone helped us force turnovers and got them flustered," DeLorme said. "We are not picked to get many wins this year. Any win we get, in any fashion, is a big win for us."
Argyle freshman Riley Ostby scored a game-high 16 points and had six rebounds to lead the Orioles. Ostby hit a turnaround jumper at the end of the third quarter to give the Orioles a 37-35 lead. Argyle junior Christopher Severson scored 12 points and added seven rebounds. Senior Alec Treuthardt had nine points on three 3-pointers.
"When we work so hard to get the ball back and we don't get a good possession or look, that hurts and is tough," Argyle coach Michael Cassidy said. "We knew they would probably use that (zone). Brian is a great coach. He knows what buttons to push. It will be a good lesson if we learn from it."
Early on, the game had the makings of one that may go down to the wire. Both teams got off to slow starts. Lewis buried a 3-pointer at 5:37 in the first quarter to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. The Orioles went almost 4 minutes without a field goal. Treuthardt hit a 3-pointer with 4:37 left in the first quarter to cut the Cardinals' lead to 4-3. Severson later hit a turnaround jumper to help the Orioles take a 9-8 lead.
Gerlach gave the Cardinals a big lift off the bench scoring seven of his 13 points in the second quarter. Ostby scored on a putback with 1:20 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 19. Gerlach then scored down low to give the Cardinals a 22-21 halftime lead. The Orioles had several second-chance points, thanks to six offensive rebounds in the first half.
"That is something we talked about in the locker room (at halftime)," Kammerer said. "We were being kicked on the boards. It's one thing if you don't have the height. We just weren't putting bodies on people. It was just a lack of effort. With a scrappy team like Argyle, you have to do the little things better."
Three of Ostby's rebounds came on the offensive end. Cassidy liked the effort of his team in the opener and expects to build on it when they get 6-foot, 6-inch Chilean exchange student Pablo Vives back from a sprained ankle.
"He's a fierce competitor," Cassidy said of Ostby. "When he came in for the first day of practice, you could just see it in his eyes. I'm really proud of the way he and we competed.
"(Offensive rebounding) is one of the things we have put a focus on. We probably could have done more of that in the second half. We were only playing six players and I think we got worn down a little bit with our depth."
Treuthardt knocked down a 3-pointer and Severson made a turnaround jumper to give the Orioles a 28-24 lead to start the third quarter. The largest lead was four points, until the Cardinals went on a 9-0 run to close the game. With the Cardinals leading 41-39, Treuthardt came up with a key steal with 2:09 to go. The Orioles turned the ball over and Lewis hit a jumper to seal it.
"Alec is just a great athlete and relentless," Cassidy said.
Now that Gerlach has traded in his football pads for basketball shoes, he is getting back into a rhythm on the court after scoring a team-high 13 points to help the Cardinals come back and knock off Argyle 46-39 in the season opener Tuesday night.
"It's a lot different than football," Gerlach said. "I'm still rusty. I'm trying to get back into it. It was a good start for us. We definitely wanted to get that first win and get on a roll. Every game will be a dogfight."
Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer understands it's still a work in progress after graduating 11 seniors last year.
"It will be an absolute learning curve," Kammerer said. "I think kids realized that playing at this level is a lot different than JV or middle school which is the last time some of them played. They got the monkey off their back. We will have to get better and do the little things better."
Brodhead freshman Ned Slocum grabbed a clutch offensive rebound and scored on a layup with about 5 minutes to go to tie the game at 39 and ignite a 9-0 spurt to end the game. The Cardinals' surge was fueled by a 1-3-1 zone that forced three straight Orioles' turnovers late in the fourth quarter. Brodhead sophomore Josiah DeLorme, who added 10 points, scored down low and senior Danny Lewis knocked down a turnaround jumper with 1:33 to go to give the Cardinals a 43-39 lead.
"The 1-3-1 zone helped us force turnovers and got them flustered," DeLorme said. "We are not picked to get many wins this year. Any win we get, in any fashion, is a big win for us."
Argyle freshman Riley Ostby scored a game-high 16 points and had six rebounds to lead the Orioles. Ostby hit a turnaround jumper at the end of the third quarter to give the Orioles a 37-35 lead. Argyle junior Christopher Severson scored 12 points and added seven rebounds. Senior Alec Treuthardt had nine points on three 3-pointers.
"When we work so hard to get the ball back and we don't get a good possession or look, that hurts and is tough," Argyle coach Michael Cassidy said. "We knew they would probably use that (zone). Brian is a great coach. He knows what buttons to push. It will be a good lesson if we learn from it."
Early on, the game had the makings of one that may go down to the wire. Both teams got off to slow starts. Lewis buried a 3-pointer at 5:37 in the first quarter to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. The Orioles went almost 4 minutes without a field goal. Treuthardt hit a 3-pointer with 4:37 left in the first quarter to cut the Cardinals' lead to 4-3. Severson later hit a turnaround jumper to help the Orioles take a 9-8 lead.
Gerlach gave the Cardinals a big lift off the bench scoring seven of his 13 points in the second quarter. Ostby scored on a putback with 1:20 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 19. Gerlach then scored down low to give the Cardinals a 22-21 halftime lead. The Orioles had several second-chance points, thanks to six offensive rebounds in the first half.
"That is something we talked about in the locker room (at halftime)," Kammerer said. "We were being kicked on the boards. It's one thing if you don't have the height. We just weren't putting bodies on people. It was just a lack of effort. With a scrappy team like Argyle, you have to do the little things better."
Three of Ostby's rebounds came on the offensive end. Cassidy liked the effort of his team in the opener and expects to build on it when they get 6-foot, 6-inch Chilean exchange student Pablo Vives back from a sprained ankle.
"He's a fierce competitor," Cassidy said of Ostby. "When he came in for the first day of practice, you could just see it in his eyes. I'm really proud of the way he and we competed.
"(Offensive rebounding) is one of the things we have put a focus on. We probably could have done more of that in the second half. We were only playing six players and I think we got worn down a little bit with our depth."
Treuthardt knocked down a 3-pointer and Severson made a turnaround jumper to give the Orioles a 28-24 lead to start the third quarter. The largest lead was four points, until the Cardinals went on a 9-0 run to close the game. With the Cardinals leading 41-39, Treuthardt came up with a key steal with 2:09 to go. The Orioles turned the ball over and Lewis hit a jumper to seal it.
"Alec is just a great athlete and relentless," Cassidy said.
