Starting Five

PG - 6'3" Jr. John Belardi

SG - 6'3" Sr. Andre Parris

SF - 6'7" Jr. Jack Kresich

PF - 6'8" Jr. Remington Rofer

C - 6'7" Senior Colby Brooks

First Quarter

The Cubs lose the tip, surrendering points off a drive to the hoop just ten seconds into the game. A dish from Brooks finds Rofer on the next possession, though, and the Cubs take a 3-2 lead. The Cubs get a pair of defensive stops, allowing Brooks to hit a tough mid-range jumper and extend the lead to 3. The Cubs get a pair of stops on the defensive end once again, highlighted by a Brooks rejection, to allow for free throws on the other end. The Cubs miss the free throws, and with 5 minutes to play in the first, the Cubs give up made free throws. The Cubs bounce back when Rofer sends a sweet dime to Kresich for a layup that restores the lead. Coach Adams calls a timeout, setting the Cubs up with a Rofer high-low that leads to another layup. The Olympian guard hits a contested three to respond but Kresich responds with a three of his own right after. The score is 12-7 to the Cubs when another timeout is called. This timeout allows the Cubs to get a steal and an emphatic alley-oop to Brooks follows. The Cubs give up a three and a foul on the next two possessions, though, and see their lead cut to just two. The Cubs get sloppy at the end of the first, turning the ball over and missing open looks. However, the Cubs are able to hunker down on the other end, holding the Olympians scoreless. The quarter ends with a Ferguson triple, leaving the Cubs in front by 5 to end the quarter.

Score 17-12

Second Quarter

The quarter opens with the Olympians scoring a putback layup; however, Ferguson completes an and-one layup on the other end to respond. The Cubs go through a two-minute scoring drought, missing open look after open look, but are finally able to end it with a Brooks layup. The Cubs give up a layup and two free throws at 5:00, leaving the score at 22-18. The Cubs struggle to get things going offensively, getting bailed out by an easy transition slam by Brooks. The Cubs give up more free throws, though, and the lead remains four. With 3:00 to play in the half, the Cubs give up more free throws, leaving the lead at two. The game remains at two for 2 minutes, neither team able to ball in the basket. A Suceveanu layup ends the dry spell, but the Olympians respond with a quick transition layup to make in a one-possession contest. The quarter ends with the Olympian guard scoring an easy layup to tie the game.

Score 26-26

Third Quarter

The Cubs open the quarter with perfect execution of their half-court offense, scoring an easy layup to start the half. The team fouls on the other end, though, and sees the lead cut back to one. Brooks responds with a putback layup, but the Cubs give up back to back layups and see themselves trail for the first time. Kresich puts in a layup and Parris puts in a mid-range jumper, but the Olympian guard drains a triple to keep the Olympians within one. Brooks misses an and-one free throw, and the Olympian guard starts cooking with his third triple this quarter. The Cubs score another layup but give up another three to the Olympian guard, putting the team down 39-41 with 2:30 left. The Cubs’ half-court offense has begun to hum as they get another layup to fall in. The Olympian guard proceeds to beat everyone and dump the ball off for an easy layup. Brooks responds with a corner three, restoring the Cub lead. The Olympian coach needs a timeout with 1:51 left in the quarter, followed by a Cub steal and Ferguson layup. The Cubs turn the ball over two times in a row, allowing the Olympians to hit a layup and cut the lead to one. The Cubs give up three consecutive offensive rebounds, fortunate to not give up any points. The Olympian coach calls a timeout with 34 seconds left in the quarter, but neither team is able to score in the time that remains.

Score 46-45

Fourth Quarter

The Cubs open the quarter by creating chances but failing to convert layups. Stopping the opposition on the other end, the Cubs find Roquemore for a transition layup. The Olympian guard hits another layup, and the Cubs give up free throws to make the game a one-point contest. The Cubs hit Kresich for a layup, going in front by 3, but turn the ball over on the attempt to extend the lead. Rofer takes a charge on defense, putting the ball back into the Cubs’ hands with 3:59 left in the game. Kresich takes the ball to the rack on the extra possession, extending the lead to five for the first time this quarter. The Cubs give up an and-one layup on the other end, though, and the lead is immediately cut to two. At 2:45, the Cubs turn the ball over and are forced to foul. The shooter misses one of two, leaving the Cubs in front by a single point. Coach Adams decides he needs a timeout at 2:40, inspiring an immediate score from Brooks. Brooks completes the and-one, and the Cubs lead by four. The Cubs get a stop on the other end, allowing Rofer to force a foul and hit two free throws. The Cubs lead by four with 1:10 in the game, forcing them into a timeout when a turnover nearly occurs. The Cubs turn the ball over right away, allowing the Olypians to hit a quick shot to bring the game to a two-point deficit. The opposing head coach calls a timeout right after, leaving 1:01 on the clock and the ball going to the Cubs. The Cubs are lucky to have the ball remain in their possession after a near turnover on the inbound. The team does turn the ball over with 49 seconds left to play, allowing the Olympians an opportunity to score. The Olympians are lucky to retain their own possession, nearly turning the ball over. The Olympian head coach calls a timeout with 40 seconds left to help his squad regroup. The Cubs come up with a monster steal, holding the ball and running the clock down as much as possible. The Olympians start to foul; with 19 seconds left and two fouls to give, the opportunities are beginning to run thin. The Cubs are able to inbound the ball to Brooks, getting him to hit two free throws and extend the lead to four. After missing a three, the Olympians are forced to foul Brooks again, allowing him to hit two more free throws with 5 seconds left in the game. The game ends with the Cubs on top of the close contest.

Score 61-55