Despite Loss, Rebels Show Signs of Improvement

The Runnin’ Rebels, Stuyvesant’s boys’ basketball team, entered their fourth game on December 3 yearning for a win. Having started the season with a 0-3 record, the Rebels hoped to get their first win against Washington Irving High School. However, despite a home-field advantage on their side, the team suffered a 56-39 defeat to fall to 0-4 in the season.

The Rebels had a difficult start to the game, facing the same problems that had plagued them the entire season. Stuyvesant struggled to get rebounds and stop Irving’s drives. Irving massively out-rebounded the Rebels and punished them in the paint. Once in the paint, the Rebels had no choice but to foul—they had eight fouls compared to Irving’s one in the first quarter. As a result, Irving scored six of their 16 points in the first quarter from free throw attempts. The Rebels finished the first quarter down 16-2.

During the start of the second quarter, with the Rebels in need of a run to catch up to Irving, junior Lewis Woloch entered the game. Woloch provided a spark off the bench and was just what the Rebels needed. It took a little bit of time to incorporate him into the game plan, but in the middle of the second quarter, Woloch knocked down Stuyvesant’s first three-pointer and started to heat up from long range. Woloch’s hot hand from deep garnered a lot of attention from Irving, who opened up the offense. In some instances, Irving double-teamed Woloch, freeing up other players across the court. One of the highlights from the Rebels’ side of the game came when Woloch converted a buzzer-beater three from near half court as time was winding down in the first half. This cut Irving’s lead to 34-29 at halftime, and his performance garnered much appreciation from his teammates and the crowd. Woloch ultimately ended up as Stuyvesant’s leading scorer with 12 points.

Stuyvesant continued to build upon the momentum in the third quarter. The Rebels played tight defense by following the defensive stance that Coach Stork had emphasized all season. “Keep your hands up!” Stork said to his team throughout the game. The defensive stance closed passing lanes for Irving, forcing a multitude of turnovers as Irving tried to thread the ball through tight passing lanes. Stuyvesant was able to take advantage of the turnovers, which led to fastbreak points to keep the game close. Junior Christopher Kim was successfully able to consistently draw fouls to go to the free throw line with the chance to even the score with Irving.

However, toward the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rebels started to fall apart both defensively and offensively. Irving managed to get in a rhythm, utilizing their speed and strength to blow by Stuyvesant defenders and accumulate numerous fouls that put them on the free throw line as they extended their minuscule lead to a commanding one.

Woloch felt that despite the momentum the Rebels had during the second quarter, they were drained of energy. “We had momentum in the second quarter, but we put ourselves in too deep of a hole to start the game, and we were all tired by the fourth,” Woloch said.

Irving took advantage of their length, getting multiple rebounds, converting easy putback layups, and blocking layup attempts from Stuyvesant. Irving’s man-to-man pressure defense proved to be too much for the Rebels, as players found it difficult to get open and had to settle for contested jumpers. “I felt like we were not playing our hardest at the other end offensively. Though we were taking shots and drives to the rim, we were not able to recover from our misses through rebounds. That was the major flaw of our offensive game,” junior Brian Poon said.

Junior Ben Zenker felt similarly. “Coach is emphasizing on boxing out hard, and we hope that we will grab more rebounds by the next game. Since we are in the first division, many of our opponents are athletic and strong. However, we should still fight aggressive in the paint,” Zenker said. With a 20-7, Irving score in the fourth quarter, the game ended 56-39 in Irving’s favor. Irving junior Sitony Diedhiou led both teams with 22 points.

Even though the Rebels suffered yet another loss, they have plenty of positive foundations that they can build upon for the rest of the season. One of them is the emergence of Woloch, who managed to be inserted into the starting lineup in the second half due to his strong performance in the first half. Another foundation is the two quarters of strong basketball in between the first and fourth quarters. Stuyvesant played stifling defense, drove to the rim, and collected fouls. The Rebels look to build upon what was their best performance to date as the season continues. “We will be putting our entire focus on our ability to work as a team. Since Coach has not been playing scrimmages during practice, I found it hard to reach out to my teammates during an in-game situation. However, I am looking forward to future games and believe that we will learn from these losses,” senior and captain Ricky Zou said.