NEWBURYPORT - Newburyport Coach Tom L'Italien's top concern was for his team to play through defeat.
To persevere and put your losses behind you. Not to forget them, but to move on and prepare for your next challenge.
Last night against the visiting Ipswich Tigers, his message was loud and clear.
After an eight point loss at Ipswich on January 2nd, the Newburyport Clippers redeemed themselves by dismantling the Tigers 66-44 in front of a raucous home crowd and improving to 8-6.
The Tigers - who are coming off a two game winning streak, including a win over a tough Masco squad - couldn't match the intensity of the Clippers, who gobbled up offensive rebounds and consistently found the open man.
L'Italien praised his group for bouncing back after a loss to Masconomet.
"We played well. We looked for the open man and we swung the ball around,"explained L'Italien. "The first time we played them we really struggled in our offensive attack. They had no reason to get out of their zone."
Suffice to say, there were no zone problems for the Clipper team this time around.
The first quarter was the beginning of the end for the Tigers, as the Clippers' hustle and passing ignited a recently dormant offense. Senior center and captain Chris Barry (14 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks and an assist) snatched offensive boards and finished around the hoop nicely, and senior guard Ben Brink (6 points, 4 boards, 2 steals and 2 assists) pushed the pace early with his energy.
With a nice defensive press, the Clippers closed out the first 24 -10.
Barry agreed with his coach that their offense has evolved.
"Our offensive style has definitely improved and our zone defense is getting better," stated Barry. "The team in general stepped up. Sam Melanson (9 points), Ben and Joe all played great."
Junior guard Joe Clancy (14 points, 10 assists, 4 steals, 5 rebounds and a block) filled the stat sheet up from start to finish. His efforts in the second quarter helped the Clippers surge forward, pushing their lead at halftime to 40 -25.
Senior guard and captain Richie Burke (19 points, 3 assists and 2 steals) led the way for the Clippers. His momentum and court leadership was evident, smoothly breaking the Tiger press and finding the open man.
To persevere and put your losses behind you. Not to forget them, but to move on and prepare for your next challenge.
Last night against the visiting Ipswich Tigers, his message was loud and clear.
After an eight point loss at Ipswich on January 2nd, the Newburyport Clippers redeemed themselves by dismantling the Tigers 66-44 in front of a raucous home crowd and improving to 8-6.
The Tigers - who are coming off a two game winning streak, including a win over a tough Masco squad - couldn't match the intensity of the Clippers, who gobbled up offensive rebounds and consistently found the open man.
L'Italien praised his group for bouncing back after a loss to Masconomet.
"We played well. We looked for the open man and we swung the ball around,"explained L'Italien. "The first time we played them we really struggled in our offensive attack. They had no reason to get out of their zone."
Suffice to say, there were no zone problems for the Clipper team this time around.
The first quarter was the beginning of the end for the Tigers, as the Clippers' hustle and passing ignited a recently dormant offense. Senior center and captain Chris Barry (14 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks and an assist) snatched offensive boards and finished around the hoop nicely, and senior guard Ben Brink (6 points, 4 boards, 2 steals and 2 assists) pushed the pace early with his energy.
With a nice defensive press, the Clippers closed out the first 24 -10.
Barry agreed with his coach that their offense has evolved.
"Our offensive style has definitely improved and our zone defense is getting better," stated Barry. "The team in general stepped up. Sam Melanson (9 points), Ben and Joe all played great."
Junior guard Joe Clancy (14 points, 10 assists, 4 steals, 5 rebounds and a block) filled the stat sheet up from start to finish. His efforts in the second quarter helped the Clippers surge forward, pushing their lead at halftime to 40 -25.
Senior guard and captain Richie Burke (19 points, 3 assists and 2 steals) led the way for the Clippers. His momentum and court leadership was evident, smoothly breaking the Tiger press and finding the open man.
"This win gets our spirits higher. Playing well like this will only spill over to other games," said Burke. "With the tournament coming up, every win is important."
With the third quarter underway, the Tigers knew they had to play catch-up. A nice play by senior guard Peter Karas (14 points and five rebounds) and Alex Lampropoulos (11 points and 4 assists) tried their best to keep it close, but after a swooping rejection by Clancy, the Clipper aggression was renewed.
Despite a barrage of threes (8 on the game), the Tigers couldn't inch closer, and entered the fourth down, 54-37.
With the game safely in their grasp and a couple insurance threes to match (7 on the game), the Clippers ended the Tigers winning streak.
With Lynnfield next, L'Italien knows his team will be ready.
"This week is our time to be selfish," L'Italien said. "We're going to practice hard, work things out and improve on our weaknesses."
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