ALBANY - Usually when one team is hitting outside shots and the other is not, the score tends to get lopsided in a hurry. Such was the case Tuesday, as Juda hit 10 3s en route to a 69-53 win over Albany.
"They've got some good shooters," Albany coach Derek Allen said. "They moved the ball nicely against our zone. They got some open shots and knocked 'em down."
The 10 3-pointers for Juda and 3 for Albany don't tell the entire story, either. The Panthers led 34-17 at one point in the first half, and with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation had pushed the advantage to 28. Both teams ran a zone defense, forcing skip passes and looking to either sneak the ball into the paint or find an open jumper. Juda's offense routinely made the extra pass - or two - early on. Those passes paid dividends.
"That's the style we want to play - hit those long threes and extend the defense - then we can look to get it inside," Juda coach Kurtis Mansfield said.
The Comets fought through fouls and a cold night from beyond 10 feet right from the start. Senior starter Josh Shell picked up his second foul with 11 minutes to play in the first half, and less than a minute later junior guard Josh Dahl stumbled upon his third foul. Dahl continued to play, however, as coach Allen knew that the importance of his team's success depended on Dahl being on the floor.
"It's something we've struggled with so far this year," Allen said of foul trouble. "We don't play terribly deep and someone like Josh Dahl, who is a very aggressive player, you kind of put a handicap on him when he gets three fouls. He can't play the way he can play, and that's something we are hoping to figure out as the season goes on."
Dahl finished with 11 points and fouled out with 4:45 left to play in the second half. When Dahl picked up his fifth foul, Albany was in the process of a 15-2 run that cut the Panthers lead from 28 points to 15.
"I think we got them extended just enough to keep them from shooting that long shot. Unfortunately, they were able to get it inside and do some damage in the second half," Mansfield said. "I subbed down a bit and we lost that energy. I put the starters back in and it took them a bit to get going again. We have to learn how to not take our foot off the gas pedal."
The Comets struggled to get going until that second half run. Albany's first field goal wasn't recorded until the game was six minutes in, and by then the Comets had already fallen behind 12-3.
"They really out-hustled us," Allen said. "We played alright defense, but they were grabbing offensive rebounds. You give them two or three shots per possession you're going to find yourself in a little bit of a hole."
Cole Fortney led all scorers with 25 points for Juda. Fortney, Keagen Haffele (17 points) and Quinton Kammerer (11) each hit three 3s. Luke Skoumal added 10 for Juda (3-2, 2-1 Six Rivers East). Shell and Jamison Stauffacher, a 6-5 junior, each had 16 for Albany (2-5, 1-2).
"I thought Keagen and Quinton did a nice job of finding Cole in the corner to spark us offensively," Mansfield said. "I thought Quinton came out especially well and was knocking down his shot to start the game. For him that's huge - it gets him going defensively and it led to some easy steals."
"They've got some good shooters," Albany coach Derek Allen said. "They moved the ball nicely against our zone. They got some open shots and knocked 'em down."
The 10 3-pointers for Juda and 3 for Albany don't tell the entire story, either. The Panthers led 34-17 at one point in the first half, and with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation had pushed the advantage to 28. Both teams ran a zone defense, forcing skip passes and looking to either sneak the ball into the paint or find an open jumper. Juda's offense routinely made the extra pass - or two - early on. Those passes paid dividends.
"That's the style we want to play - hit those long threes and extend the defense - then we can look to get it inside," Juda coach Kurtis Mansfield said.
The Comets fought through fouls and a cold night from beyond 10 feet right from the start. Senior starter Josh Shell picked up his second foul with 11 minutes to play in the first half, and less than a minute later junior guard Josh Dahl stumbled upon his third foul. Dahl continued to play, however, as coach Allen knew that the importance of his team's success depended on Dahl being on the floor.
"It's something we've struggled with so far this year," Allen said of foul trouble. "We don't play terribly deep and someone like Josh Dahl, who is a very aggressive player, you kind of put a handicap on him when he gets three fouls. He can't play the way he can play, and that's something we are hoping to figure out as the season goes on."
Dahl finished with 11 points and fouled out with 4:45 left to play in the second half. When Dahl picked up his fifth foul, Albany was in the process of a 15-2 run that cut the Panthers lead from 28 points to 15.
"I think we got them extended just enough to keep them from shooting that long shot. Unfortunately, they were able to get it inside and do some damage in the second half," Mansfield said. "I subbed down a bit and we lost that energy. I put the starters back in and it took them a bit to get going again. We have to learn how to not take our foot off the gas pedal."
The Comets struggled to get going until that second half run. Albany's first field goal wasn't recorded until the game was six minutes in, and by then the Comets had already fallen behind 12-3.
"They really out-hustled us," Allen said. "We played alright defense, but they were grabbing offensive rebounds. You give them two or three shots per possession you're going to find yourself in a little bit of a hole."
Cole Fortney led all scorers with 25 points for Juda. Fortney, Keagen Haffele (17 points) and Quinton Kammerer (11) each hit three 3s. Luke Skoumal added 10 for Juda (3-2, 2-1 Six Rivers East). Shell and Jamison Stauffacher, a 6-5 junior, each had 16 for Albany (2-5, 1-2).
"I thought Keagen and Quinton did a nice job of finding Cole in the corner to spark us offensively," Mansfield said. "I thought Quinton came out especially well and was knocking down his shot to start the game. For him that's huge - it gets him going defensively and it led to some easy steals."
