Running Out of Time

Usually this would be the point where I (or any other blogger, beat-writer, sports journalist) would write some kind introduction relating to sports, media, or really anything that most people can relate to. Then I would tie that into what our guys have been doing lately. But I'm not gonna do that this time. Mainly because I want this entry to stress the sense of urgency that should be felt for this team. This is gonna be short, sweet, and to-the-point.

Now I want to get one thing straight. I thoroughly believe that this is the most talented boys basketball team that CHS has ever fielded (sorry alumni.) I see more potential on this team than any team I think I've ever watched. And I know others have seen it too (may I remind you of a certain February 4th victory over one Whitfield Academy?) And I know that the guys know this too.

But maybe they know it too well.

I don't want to suggest the guys are cocky. I know most of them too well to suggest that. But after watching them play over the past two weeks, I sometimes wonder if they might be too confident.

The Eagles are 3-3 after their world-beating performance against Whitfield. Let's recap these 6 games. Very quickly.

February 7: The boys follow up an amazing win with a disappointing loss to Crossroads, a talented, but beatable team. Poor shooting and rebounding are big reasons for the loss.
February 9: One of the most anticipated games of the year, the Eagles lay an egg against a very weak Westminster team. First loss on the home floor in Mr. Meers' three years of coaching.
February 12: The Eagles come away with a very impressive road win against district rival Winfield, their second victory at Winfield this year. Riding Andrew Frank's monster fourth quarter, the Eagles prove their dominance against the only team that seems to challenge their shot at a district title.
February 15: A 16-point victory on the road against a GAC opponent was, in reality, a 30-point walloping. Huge nights from Adam Glenville, Blake Meers, and Brendan Norwine are the highlights (also, Evan Marcks gets his first varsity points.)
February 17: The Eagles improve on their winning streak by beating a weakened-by-graduation Brentwood squad. A close game throughout, the Eagles pull away in the end. Frank and Meers combine for 42 of 59 points.
February 19: Once again, the Eagles fall at home. North County Tech revenges their loss in the first game of the year with a 15-point victory.

In case you weren't paying attention, that's 1-2 since the Whitfield win. In the last two weeks, the Eagles have lost 2 more games at home then they have in the past two years. Add those two wins, and they are sporting a 16-6 record heading into the last week of the regular season. Instead, they are 14-8, which is in no way bad. But, in my opinion, it's underachieving. After we all witnessed the win against state-ranked Whitfield Warriors, the Eagles were on the bubble for being ranked. This basically means the Eagles weren't in the Top 10 but the Top 20. 14th to be exact. That is very, very good. And I still believe that the Eagles could do even better. I feel like I should be seeing them in the Top 10. After I saw what they did to Whitfield, I know that they can beat ANY team in Class 3. And, folks, they are poised to do so. Districts are in one week and the Eagles have landed the #1 seed. Like I mentioned earlier, the only team that seems to have any realistic chance to knock off the Eagles is Winfield. The Eagles have beat Winfield twice. At Winfield. Sufficed to say, I am not worried about Winfield. Because the guys seem to have it together when they play the Warriors. However, I am worried about the games before that. This lack of urgency that I seem to notice when I watch the guys play is disturbing. No one wants this to be a repeat of last year. A disappointing end to a promising season, all because of one bad game. Simply put, the guys are running out of time to make sure that doesn't happen.

Now for the positive. Blake and Adam are both having the best years of their respective high school careers. Andrew is consistently producing. Brendan is improving. Fast. And the bench is starting to crank out some very good players. Zach and Lance have shown they can put up points. They just need to do it more consistently. This week the Eagles play teams with a combined 9-43 record (including Barat Academy on Monday night. Everyone be there. Please. They need to get theirs.) I see this as a PERFECT moment to slaughter some weaklings and at the same time work on things, areas that need improvement. And when I say work, I mean perfect. Because if the guys want to take the next step and shock MSHSAA Class 3, they're gonna need to be perfect like they were on February 4. And they have one week to do it. Because in 8 days, it's showtime. The ball is in their court, literally and figuratively. What will they do with it?