By: Lt. Guy

On Wednesday, January 18, 2023, the Loyalists had the opportunity to redeem themselves after a tough home game loss against the Stamford Hornets on Monday by defeating the visiting DSBN Academy. The Loyalists squared off against DSBN in an intense matchup to defend their home court, but this time the Loyalists were poised to win. Before the game, the coaching staff met with the team in the dressing room to discuss our strategic approach for the game. 

Loyalists came out of the dressing room hungry for their first homecourt win of the season but determined to send a message to their opponents in an emphatic way.  The starting five consisted of Reece Continelli, (point guard), Thomas Uzan (shooting guard), Edwin Ajaere (small forward), Dafydd Jenkins (power forward), and Fode Kaba (centre). 

The Loyalists were off to a great start as they dominated the defensive rebounds against DSBN’s centres, while Uzan, Ajaere, and Continelli led the way in scoring for the Loyalists. In addition to showing their defensive presence, the Loyalists were able to confidently control the first half of the game 24-20. 

At half-time the Loyalists fans were well entertained by the parade band led by the Alpha Company Squad, Cdt. Justin Gagne, Cdt. Ethan Xie, Rct. Colton Bridges, and Rct. Aiden Smith. The Loyalist fans were in for a mega surprize as they were rocked out of their seats by the newest and hottest young rap star, Cdt. Emmanuel Opio (aka, EL Chapo) dropping his latest single, “BLESSINGS.”

After the half-time show, the Loyalists regrouped into the dressing room to prepare for the third quarter. With great confidence, the team was poised to erase their previous mistakes from their last matchup with DSBN. After our discussion, the coaching staff concluded that third-quarter performance was the Loyalists Achillies heel. The team who dominated the third quarter controls the game. 

With this approach, the Loyalists took the floor and went into beast mode! The team’s tenacious defense along with the help of the Alpha drumming squad, was too much for DSBN’s lineup. The Loyalists held DSBN to only four points in the entire third quarter. With newly found confidence, Loyalists number 22, Uzan was unstoppable. DSBN had no answer for Uzan, who racked up a total of 29 points, shattering any hopes of DSBN making a comeback. Uzan’s 29 points was the sum of DSBN’s total points as a team. 

Kaba was instrumental in yesterday’s victory against DSBN, contributing 11 points and over 8 rebounds; Continelli scored 8 points, and Ajaere scored 6 points to seal the victory for the Loyalists. Supporting players, Raymond Zhang and Vidhya Petit stepped up big on the defensive end, securing 3 steals and 4 rebounds, collectively. Our 3-point specialist, Gavin Yekmalian’s return to the court from a previous injury gave the team a special boost of confidence to pull out the win. The final score was 52 – 29, Loyalist over DSBN.

What did we do differently this time around? We played with an eraser mentality, knowing that mistakes will be made, and every play is an opportunity to erase previous mistakes. We remained patient; we stayed positive; we focused on what we did well. The boys were empowered to take control of their own destiny. The coaching staff made detailed copies of each play and reviewed them with the team’s defensive leader, Kaba, who orchestrated the plan of action on the court. Next, the coaching staff met with key players to address self-confidence issues that hampered previous game performances.

Substitutions were strategically managed to curtail the number of errors committed during pressure plays, and timeouts were only utilized to cement players’ understanding of the game plays and how to execute them. 

This WIN was a team effort, and the results are only a small example of what we could accomplish when we work together. Good luck to all the boys as they head into exams. 

The Loyalists next home game is February 9, 2023, against Franco Niagara (FN).