Sizz wins over Graduate Sales in a close one!

Wow, what a way to start the season tonight at Goldtrap. I knew going into this season that it was going to be a fun league this year. There are a lot of good players in the league and most of the teams are very evenly matched. We would have the tough task of opening up with one of the best teams in the league tonight in Graduate Sales. They are loaded with really good players and play just as hard as we do. I coached most of their kids in one sport or another over the last few years and I knew we were going to have our hands full tonight. They are well coached by Grant and David, who always do a good job with their teams.

       The opening quarter you could tell that both teams had some opening game jitters. There were lots of turnover and missed shots in the quarter. Luke Watson would score all 6 of our points in the quarter and we would lead 6-4 after the first 6 minutes of play. The 2nd quarter our defense had several problem stopping their penetration and it resulted in Graduate Sales getting some easy shots against our defense. They would outscore us 9-1 in the quarter and take a 13-7 lead into the halftime.

       The 3rd quarter we would change a few things on offense and we would get things rolling. Samuel Carlisle would sink a couple of baseline jumpers to lead our comeback. Luke Watson and Avery Walker also sank buckets to tie the game at 15 mid-way thru the quarter. The rest of the quarter would be back and forth with neither team able to stretch more than a two point lead. We would be all tied up at 20 by the end of the quarter and this one was a fun one to be a part of.

       The final quarter would be much of the same as the 3rd. Both teams would exchange baskets and neither one could get a comfortable lead. Players were hitting big shots for both teams and this one would go down to the wire. With less than a minute to play and the game tied at 26, Avery Walker made a huge steal for our team. He would be fouled driving to the hoop and would go to the line and sink both free throws. Our defense would do the rest the final minute of the game and we would pull out the 28-26 win. It was a good game by both teams and the kids played really hard out there. I thought Graduate Sales played really well tonight. We made some mistakes defensively that cost us numerous baskets. We will get those things fixed in practice and be better next time.

       Luke Watson led us with 10 points and 13 rebounds. He was awesome tonight on both ends of the floor! Avery Walker finished with 7 points and 2 rebounds, while playing great defense against Graduate Sales terrific guards. Ethan Arnold had 6 points and 10 boards, while doing a good job in the second half of running the offense. Samuel Carlisle really led our comeback in that 3rd quarter and finished with 4 points and 2 rebounds. He also played great defense on one of Graduates' best shooters in Kolton Kennon. Ty Jones only scored one point but had 11 huge rebounds. We don't win the game without Ty's effort on the glass. All the rest of the guys did some good things out there tonight, mainly on the defensive end. Xander, Noah, Logan, Jayden, Andrew and Mason all played well defensively. We got plenty to work on next week in practice. We do not play again until Saturday, Dec. 21st @ 1pm versus Arkoma. See you all at practice on Monday at 7:00.  

 

 

Sizz Week 1 - Player of the Week - Samuel Carlisle

 

Our player of the week for week 1 of the season is Samuel Carlisle. Samuel had a really good game tonight versus Graduate Sales. He really played well in the 3rd quarter and led a big comeback by our team. Samuel finished with 4 points and a couple of rebounds, while playing really good on the defensive end of the floor. Great job Samuel, we are very proud of you!

 

 

 

Sizz delivers knock out blow to Arkoma, 41-18!

Coming into the game we had heard that the Arkoma team could really run the floor and shoot the ball well. They are a school team that gets to practice an hour a day, so they have quite an advantage over the boys club teams, considering we get to practice an hour a week. We really challenged the kids to not let another team come into their gym and walk away with a victory. We felt like we did not play that well in our game against Graduate Sales, so we wanted to come out and really make a statement in the game today versus Arkoma. The kids really responded to our challenge and Arkoma could not get out of our gym fast enough on Saturday.

The opening quarter both teams were trying to shake off a little rust. We had not played in 11 days, so it took us a little while to get back in a groove. Luke Watson knocked down a couple of jumpers to give us a early 4-0 lead. After an Arkoma basket, Ethan Arnold would score to make it a 6-2 lead. Andrew Buergler would score his first basket of the season to extend our lead to 9-2. Arkoma would score right before the buzzer to pull within 9-4 and this one looked to be a ball game.

The 2nd quarter was pretty even with both teams knocking down some jumpers from the outside. Avery Walker sank back-to-back jumpers to give us a 13-7 lead. Arkoma would pull within 13-9 on a jump shot from the wing, but Ty Jones would hit a free throw and another basket by Avery would make it a 16-10 Sizz lead. Xander Connor was a beast for us in the quarter. He was all over the place defensively, causing several jump balls and turnovers. He grabbed down 6 boards in the quarter and was really a difference maker out there on the floor with his hustle and effort. Great job Xander!!! By the end of the quarter this one was still a game as we held a 16-10 lead.

The 3rd quarter we really kicked things into gear and would totally dominate the quarter. For a while it looked as if Ethan was going to beat them all by himself, as he knocked down four straight shots to give us a 24-10 lead. Avery Walker then took an outlet pass from Ethan and made Sportcenters Top Ten with a driving layup after getting hammered on the play. Avery would convert the 3-point play and the Sizz lead would be 27-12. Our defense was forcing Arkoma into numerous turnovers that turned into some easy baskets for us. Luke would knock down a couple shots before the quarter would end and we had built a 33-14 lead. We outscored Arkoma 17-4 in the quarter and had them really frustrated. Ethan had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 3rd quarter alone. He and Luke totally dominated the glass and we took advantage of the smaller Arkoma team.

The final quarter we made sure all the kids got plenty of playing time and we would cruise to a 41-18 win. Samuel Carlisle would knock down a couple of jumpers in the quarter to round out our scoring. All the kids done some good things in the game today to help us get this win. We were led by Ethan's 16 points and 17 rebounds. Luke finished with 9 points and a team high 18 rebounds. Avery Walker had a great game with 9 points, 2 rebounds and more steals than Coach Doug could count. Samuel Carlisle finished with 4 points and a couple of boards, while playing really good defense. Andrew Buergler would score his first points of the season and finished with 2 points. Ty Jones added a single free throw to round out our scoing in the game. Xander Connor was awesome on the boards and defensively. It was fun watching him play out there today. I love his hustle and effort, along with his super attitude! Jayden Brown did not score in the game but he was a bull on defense. He forced numerous turnovers and made things real difficult for the Arkoma guards. Noah, Mason and Logan all played well defensively and helped us get the win today.

We will be off the entire week of Christmas and return to practice on Monday, December 30th @ 7pm. I hope you all have a very blessed and merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Sizz Week 2 - Players of the Week - Ethan & Luke

We had two outstanding performances in our game this week versus Arkoma. Actually we had several kids that could have been named players of the week, but we narrowed it down to a couple. Ethan Arnold and Luke Watson were named our players of the week for week 2 of the season. Ethan had an awesome game on Saturday as he finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Arkoma had no answer for him the entire game and he could have scored 40 if he had wanted to. Luke Watson also was a beast out there today, as he finished with 9 points and 18 rebounds. He and Ethan totally controlled the glass and made it very difficult for Arkoma to get any second chances on their end of the floor. Luke and Ethan both ran the point in the game and did a great job of taking care of the ball. We are very proud of both of these guys!

 

 

Sizz blows by National Family, 34-18!

It took us a while to get things going tonight versus National Family, but once we did this one was no contest. The opening quarter you could tell both teams had not played in several weeks due to the holiday break. We struggled shooting the ball and made some silly turnovers. National Family would score the first 4 points of the game. Luke Watson would finally get us on the board with a basket. After another National Family bucket, Luke and Ethan Arnold would both score to tie the game at 6 by the end of the 1st quarter. Our defense was playing well, but on offense we were very rusty. Jayden Brown and Noah Ralston made several good plays on defense and that kept the game close in the opening quarter. Andrew Buergler had a tough job in the opening quarter guarding one of National Family's best players in McCade Moody. Andrew really battled him tough on the boards and made it very tough for them to pass the ball to McCade. Great job Andrew!

The 2nd quarter we really got things going. We started running the break and really pushing the ball up the floor. Ty Jones and Avery Walker really sparked us in the quarter. Xander Connor was grabbing every rebound and once again all over the floor defensively. We would go on a 12-2 run behind 7 points from Avery and 5 from Ty to take a 18-8 lead. National Family would sink a long 3-pointer right before the end of the quarter to pull within 18-11 by the half.

The 3rd quarter we always really pick up our defense and tonight would be no different. National Family must have felt like we had 7 players on the floor. We were swarming them and caused numerous turnovers that turned into easy baskets. Ethan Arnold caught fire and reeled off 9 points in the quarter to help us build a 27-12 lead. Luke Watson would get a nice pass from Ty Jones to score again and by the end of the quarter we had outscored National Family 12-1 in the quarter to take command of this one.

Heading into the final quarter we had a 30-12 lead and made sure all the guys got more paying time. We continued to play tough defense and did not let National Family have anything easy. Ty would sink a couple more baskets and this one would end with us cruising to a 34-18 win. The victory moves us to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in league play. We return to action next Tuesday night at 6:30 versus a good Preferred Office team. We have team pictures at 5:30, so please have your child on time for pictures. See you all at practice on Monday at 7:00.

 

 

 

Sizz Week 3 - Player of the Week - Ty Jones

 

Our player of the week for week 3 of the season is Ty Jones. Ty had a really good game tonight versus National Family. He scored 9 points and grabbed down 7 big rebounds. He also had numerous steals in the game and played great defense. He and Avery Walker really sparked us in the 2nd quarter of the game tonight and we never looked back from there. Ty is a really smart player and a joy to be around and coach. Great job Ty, we are very proud of you!

 

 

Lavaca duo leads comeback over Preferred, 31-29!

When a team loses one of its best players to injury or sickness, it's a tough thing to overcome sometime at any level. We were playing last night without our leading scorer Ethan Arnold, who had a bike accident on Sunday. Also Logan Edwards was out sick with the flu. So that meant that everyone had to really step up their game last night over a good Preferred Office team. We had several kids really step up their game last night and helped us pull out a very hard fought win 31-29. The "Lavaca Duo" Luke Watson and Avery Walker really came through in a big way last night. Luke had 11 ponts and 14 rebounds, while Avery hit the game winning shot and finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Xander Connor and Jayden Brown also hit some key baskets in the game and got some big time rebounds late in the contest to help us pull out the win. Let's see how it all went down.

Preferred came into the game with a record of 1-2 but both of their losses were very close games and came against two good teams. They are well coached and their kids play super hard. They came out in the opening quarter and really hurt us on the boards. We are a much smaller team without Ethan in the line-up and it showed early. Their best player, Sam Roper scored a couple of baskets off offensive rebounds to give them an early 4-0 lead. Ty Jones would slice his way thru the lane for a bucket to pull us within two. After another Preferred basket, Luke Watson would hit a free throw to make it a 6-5 Preferred lead after the 1st quarter of play. 

The 2nd quarter we thought we may have an advantage with Preferred's best player Sam Roper out of the game but they got red hot from the floor and started hitting every shot they put up. Xander Connor really kept us in the game with a couple of huge baskets off offensive rebounds to pull us within 12-9. After another Preferred jump shot, Avery Walker would sink one of his own to make it a 14-11 Preferred lead at the half.

The 3rd quarter would see Preferred continue to shoot "lights out!" For a while they could not miss and it helped them to build a 23-14 lead and things looked bad for us. We called timeout and made a couple of small changes in the lineup and on defense that really seemed to start to turn things around. Avery would sink a couple of jumpers from the wing and Luke would score a couple of hard fought baskets around the rim. Suddenly we were back in this thing, only down 23-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The final quarter would be fun to watch as both teams really battled their hearts out and it turned into one of those games that neither team deserved to lose. The game was close the entire way with both teams exchanging baskets. After Preferred tied the game at 25, Jayden Brown would make a huge play as he scored a basket off an offensive rebound. On defense we were trying to force Preferred to throw the ball to someone else beside Sam. Ty Jones was face guarding him and did a great job on him the entire quarter. We took a 29-25 lead after a basket by Luke and it looked as if we finally had the game in hand. But the Preferred kids would not quit as they would score on back-to back possessions to tie the game at 29 with 20 seconds remaining. Avery Walker would then hit the biggest shot of the year for us, as he sank a 15-footer to give us a 31-29 lead. After a Preferred timeout our defense would stiffen up and hold on for the 2-point win.

It was a great game by two good teams. I felt sorry for the Preferred kids as they really battled their hearts out in the game. I was so proud of our kids for not getting down after being behind as much as 8 points in the 3rd quarter. They really showed a lot of heart of their own battling back and pulling this one out. Great job tonight Sizz and see you all next Monday at practice. 

PS: Be careful on your bike and don't do anything goofy..... Ethan   :)

 

 

Sizz Week 4 - Player of the Week - Xander Connor

 

While we had a lot of heroes in our game this week versus Preferred, we chose Xander Connor as our player of the week. He had 4 points and 5 huge rebounds in the game. He came into the game in the 2nd quarter when we were having trouble scoring and put in a couple of baskets off offensive rebounds that really seemed to give us a big lift. He always gives 110% on the court and has a great attitude. He is a super kid and I'm glad he is on our team. Great job Xander, we are very proud of you!

 

 

 

 

Dale Crampton upsets Sizz, 34-26

In our second game without our leading scorer Ethan Arnold, we could just not overcome the huge size advantage Dale Crampton had over us. They have 4 kids that are much bigger than anyone we had in the lineup on Tuesday. There were times they got 5 or 6 shots at the basket. It was not a lack of effort from our kids, they were just so much bigger we had a hard time even getting near the goal for a rebound. Our plan going into the game was to really push the ball and wear the much bigger Dale Crampton team out. While we got to shoot a ton of free throws the problem was we could not hit many of them. We were a whopping 6 of 24 from the free throw line! That, along with getting outrebounded by about 30 was the difference in the game.

The opening quarter we were really trying to push the ball and at times it worked. Ty Jones played his best quarter of the season and at times was more than Dale Crampton could handle. He and Luke Watson were attacking the basket and getting easy layups or getting fouled. With us up 8-6, Andrew Buergler hit a short jumper to give us a 4-point lead. Dale Crampton would then hit back-to-back jumpers to tie the game at 10. Ty Jones would score the final two baskets of the quarter and we would take a 14-10 lead after the first quarter of play.

The 2nd quarter would be pretty ugly basketball. Both defenses were causing turnovers and both teams had trouble finding the bottom of the net. We would only score three points in the quarter, as Avery Walker sank a jump shot and Samuel Carlisle hit a free throw. Dale Crampton had their struggles also, as they only managed 6 points in the quarter. By the half we would hold a slim 17-16 lead.

We really thought in the 3rd quarter we could run our fast break and score before Dale Crampton could get down the floor. The problem is, it's hard to start a fast break when you can't get a rebound. We just could not keep them off the offensive glass and it killed us. Our kids battled hard but their size was too much too overcome. With the game tied at 21, Dale Crampton hit a near half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer to give them a 24-21 lead heading into the final quarter.

The 4th quarter I thought our kids got tired and was worn out from fighting the much bigger Dale Crampton team on the glass. They got shot after shot on most trips down the floor and would extend their lead as the quarter went on. We fought back and climbed within 28-26 with two minutes left but Nick Hewett sank a long jumper to give them a 30-26 lead. We did not score the final 1:30 of the game and Dale Crampton came away with the 34-26 win. They played a really good game and give credit to their kids for their effort in this one. I'm still very proud of our kids and how hard they played out there. We should be back at full strength next week versus Army Surplus. See you all Monday at practice.

 

 

 

Sizz uses 2nd half run to coast to 40-21 win!

Well this one started out and just as I suspected, it was tougher than our kids thought it would be. Coach Dylan and his Army Surplus team is loaded with all 3rd graders and at times have really taken their lumps this season. But you can see them improving with each and every game and Dylan has his team playing hard and that's half the battle won. They came out last night and took the fight to us. They were more aggressive than we were, especially in the 2nd quarter. The result would be a good ball game for at least three quarters.

The opening quarter, Ethan Arnold and Luke Watson was a 2-man show on offense. Ehtan scored a couple of baskets off offensive rebounds to give us an early lead. Army Surplus battled back to tie the game at 4. Luke would then knock down a couple of shots and Ethan would sink a short jumper to give us a 10-4 lead by the end of the opening quarter. Andrew Buergler, Jayden Brown and Noah Ralston was doing their part. Their defense was really solid in the first six minutes of the game and made life tough for Army Surplus.

The 2nd quarter group just didn't seem to have the same energy as our 1st quarter players. Army's best player, Drake Kleck torched us for several easy baskets and before we knew it, they had a 11-10 lead. We let Drake dribble all around the floor without much pressure and he got red hot from the field. Offensively we were struggling to get many shots to fall. Avery Walker did score a couple of baskets on fast break lay-ups to give us a 14-13 lead. Ty Jones then scored on a shot from the baseline to give us a slim 16-15 lead at the half. Suddenly we were in a dogfight and Army didn't seem like they were going to back down.

The 3rd quarter we really turned up the heat on defense and started playing like we are capable of playing. Army had a tough time getting shots off as we were all over them. Samuel Carlisle would sink a small jumper to give us a 18-15 lead. Every player we played in the 3rd quarter would score and we would outscore Army 10-0 in the quarter to finally put this game away. By the end of the quarter we held a 26-15 lead.

The final quarter, Ethan took over and put the final touches on this one. He scored 10 points in the quarter as he was hitting from all over the floor. Army had no answer for him and we would pull away and coast to a 40-21 win. We would end up outscoring Army Surplus 24-6 in the final two quarters and really played good those last 12 minutes of the game. We return to action next Tuesday at 7:30 versus a very good Optimist team led by Ian Hindmarsh. The win tonight keeps us in a 1st place tie in the league standings with Graduate Sales at 3-1. See you all at practice on Monday at 7:00.

 

 

 

 

Sizz Week 6 - Player of the Week - Jayden Brown

 

Our player of the week for week 6 of the season is Jayden Brown. He did not score in the game tonight versus Army Surplus, but he played great defense and came away with 8 big rebounds. Jayden is one of those kids that has a huge heart and will always give 110%. You never have to worry about his effort. He will always give all he has and then some. He is a fun kid to be around and coach. Great job this week Jayden, we are very proud of you!

 

 

 

Sizz blows out Optimist, 34-9!

To say our kids were ready for this game would be an understatement. They came out ready to play in this one and basically won the game in the first 6 minutes of the game. Our offense was clicking and our defense made life miserable for Optimist. We held their best player, Ian Hindmarsh to just 2 points in the game and the result would be an easy 34-9 win for our kids.

We came out in the opening quarter and jumped on them from the opening seconds. We scored off our tip-off play as Jayden Brown threw a nice pass to Ethan Arnold for a quick 2-0 lead. Our defense was all over their guards and would not allow them to get good looks at the basket the entire quarter. On offense we started running a ''give-n-go'' with Luke Watson and Ethan. We scored 10 straight points off of it, as Optimist didn't make any changes to stop the bleeding. Ethan and Luke would combine for 15 points in the quarter and we would hold a 15-2 lead after the opening quarter of play.

The 2nd quarter would not get any better for the Optimist squad. We continued to pour it on and Optimist had no answers. Avery Walker would knock down a jump shot to extend our lead to 17-4. A couple more baskets by Ethan would put us up 21-4 and the rout was on. Ethan would score 8 points in the quarter and this one was out of hand by the half. We held a 27-6 lead and our kids were not thinking about letting up.

The entire last half the mercy rule was in effect, so the clock never stops. The last 12 minutes of the game went by pretty quick. Our defense continued to make it tough for Optimist to get anything going. This one would mercifully end with us notching a 34-9 win. The win moves us to 4-1 in the league and 6-1 overall. We will play Graduate Sales for the League Championship next Tuesday night @ 6:30.  See you all at practice on Monday night at 7:00.

 

 

Sizz Week 7 - Player of the week - Avery Walker

Our player of the week for week 7 of the season is Avery Walker. He had 3 points in the game last night versus Optimist and his defense was awesome. He was one of the big reasons we were able to hold a high-powered Optimist offense to only 9 points in the game. Avery is one of those kids that always gives you 110% on the floor. At times he may be the smallest kid on the court, but he always has the biggest heart. Great job Avery, we are very proud of you!

 

 

Sizz claims League Title with OT win over Graduate Sales, 36-35!

A lot was on the line in tonight's game versus Graduate Sales. The league championship and #1 seed from Goldtrap heading into the city tourney. A loss would have dropped us to 3rd or 4th in the league standings, but a win and we are league champs! This one could have went either way but I'm glad the ball bounced our way in the final minutes of this one. It was not easy that's for sure and our kids played their tails off tonight. Graduate Sales is a great team loaded with good players. They are well coached by Grant and David, and their kids play hard. We wanted to play a man-to-man defense against them because they have such good outside shooters and a zone defense leaves shooters open a lot of times. We got burned several times in this game because we were not switching off of screens but in the end we did just enough to ease one out. Let's see how this one went down.

The opening quarter we got off to a hot start. After Graduate Sales scored the first four points of the game, Ethan Arnold would nail a 3-pointer to pull us within 4-3. A short time later after a basket by Luke Watson, Ethan would drain another one from downtown to give us a 8-4 lead. Luke would then knock down a couple more baskets and suddenly we had built a 13-6 lead. Graduate would score the last two baskets of the quarter and it would be a 13-10 Sizz lead after the 1st quarter of play.

The 2nd quarter would be back and forth. Graduate scored on a couple of nice pick-n-rolls and we didn't do well switching off the screens. Ethan remained "red hot" from the field, knocking down shots from all over the floor. He would score 8 points in the quarter and we would hold a 21-16 lead at the half. Ty Jones did a great job in the quarter as he grabbed 7 huge rebounds in the 2nd quarter alone. Xander Connor and Mason Adams also grabbed down a few boards and both played very well on defense. Avery Walker was doing a good job running the show on offense and got the ball to an open Ethan for several easy baskets.

The 3rd quarter would be a battle the entire way. Ty would score off an offensive rebound and Avery would knock down a jumper to give us a 25-16 lead. It looked as if we may put this game away, but Graduate Sales would not go away so quietly. The kids continued to fight and scratch their way back into the game. We seemed to get very tired near the end of the quarter and struggled to get rebounds. The result would be several baskets by Graduate off offensive rebounds. By the end of the quarter our 9-point lead had shrunk to 29-26.

The final quarter we really seem to hit the wall, especially Ethan. He was totally worn out and his shots quit falling. Our defense continued to play well, as Luke and Ethan were still battling on the boards. We held a 32-30 lead with 2 minutes remaining and was trying to run out the clock. We turned the ball over on a couple of trips down the floor but luckily for us Graduate missed a couple of easy shots. With less than 20 seconds remaining, Ethan was fouled and went to the line with us holding a 32-31 lead. He hit 1 of 2 free throws to extend the lead to 33-31. Graduate called timeout to set up a play and our kids defended it well, but we lost the rebound out of bounds and Gradute would set up an inbound play trying to tie the game and send it into overtime. We knew what they were going to run but I also knew they last time they ran it, we didn't switch off a screen and they got a wide open layup. Well, guess what, the same thing happened and they once again got an open layup to tie the game at 33 with 4.6 seconds remaining. Ethan would get a good look at the basket for our final shot but the shot rimmed out and we were heading to overtime tied at 33.

In overtime Graduate Sales would score the first points off a basket in the lane by Jacob Null. After the two teams exchanged turnovers, Avery Walker would then hit the biggest shot of the year for us with a jumper from the free throw line to tie the game at 35 with less than 30 seconds remaining. Graduate Sales got the ball but missed and Ethan would grab the board. He then drove the lane and was fould with 10 seconds left on the clock. He once again hit 1 of 2 free throws to give us a 36-35 lead. Graduate called time-out to set up their game winning play. This time though we were able to talk about what they probably planned to do in the huddle and our kids defended it well. Graduate missed their shot and the Ethan would block the follow up attempt as the buzzer sounded. We had escaped with a 36-35 win. Wow, what a game by both teams. Neither team deserved to lose this one that's for sure. Both teams played their hearts out and have a lot to be proud of.

All our kids played a part in this win. Whether they made a big play in the 1st quarter or in overtime, it was a team win and I'm proud of all our kids. We were led by Ethan's 20 points and 12 rebounds. He also played good defense against the best 3rd grader in the league in David Sorg. Luke Watson was once again a beast for us tonight. He had to guard Graduate's best player, Jacob Null all game and did a good job on him. Luke also finished with 8 points and 13 huge rebounds. Avery Walker saved the best for last as he scored 6 points and grabbed down a couple of rebounds. He hit the huge shot in overtime that tied the game for us. Ty Jones only scored 2 points but grabbed down 7 big rebounds. He also played great defense on Eli Gilreath and really shut him down for most the game. Jayden Brown was his usual bulldog self on defense. He was all over the place and was guarding Graduate's best shooter in Kolton Kennon. Jayden played with 4 fouls for most of the last half and did a great job out there. He also had 7 rebounds in the game. Andrew Buergler did not score in the game but had a rebound and in the 1st quarter had a tough assignment. The first time we played Graduate Sales, one of their big men, Blake Pinkston scored several baskets and had a ton of rebounds. Tonight he would not do that as Andrew was all over him on defense and did not allow him a single point or rebound in the game. Great job Andrew. Xander, Logan and Mason also played very well on defense and helped us to get this big win tonight. Great job Sizz!

 

 

 

Sizz Week 8 - Player of the week - Andrew Buergler

 

Our player of the week for week 8 of the season is Andrew Buergler. Andrew played great defense in the game tonight versus Graduate Sales. In that 1st quarter we had him guarding one of the very good rebounders for Graduate Sales. Andrew done a good job blocking him out and not letting him get a single rebound in the quarter. Great job Andrew, we are very proud of you!

 

 

 

 

 

Sizz blasts Arkoma, 40-24!

I want to start off saying a big thanks to Coach Doug and Chris for taking care of the team while I was out of town on Saturday. Looks as if they didn't miss a beat. We jumped on Arkoma early in the opening quarter and never looked back. By the half we had a 20-6 lead and Arkoma had no answers. By the end of the 3rd quarter, our lead had grown to 32-13 and this one was over. The final would end 40-24 and move us to 8-1 on the season and 5-1 in league play. We end the season as the Goldtrap Pee Wee League Champions and will be the #1 seed heading into the City Tourney next week. The tourney is at Goldtrap so we need to defend our home court. We have a good chance to go all the way in the tourney if we play the way we are capable of playing.

In today's game, Ethan Arnold led us with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Luke Watson had yet another great game with 14 points and 20 rebounds. Jayden Brown looked as if he had one of his best games of the season, as he scored 8 points and had 11 big rebounds. Great job to all the Sizz players. Look forward to seeing you all at practice on Thursday night.

 

 

Sizz Week 9 - Player of the week - Mason Adams

 

Our player of the week for the final week of the regular season is Mason Adams. He scored his first points of the season on Saturday versus Arkoma. He is a kid that always gives us 100% and is learning how to play the game of basketball. He has a great attitude and is very coachable. Great job this week Mason, we are very proud of you!

 

 

 

2013-14 Goldtrap Pee Wee Basketball Scores

Week 1              *Denotes = Non-conference game

*National Family - 28         Preferred Office - 26

*Optimist - 38                   Army Surplus - 17

*Western Sizzlin - 28        Graduate Sales - 26 

*Arkoma - 32                     Dale Crampton - 24 

 

Week 2

*Graduate Sales - 33          Preferred Office - 26

*Dale Crampton - 30           Army Surplus - 11

*Optimist - 32                    National Family - 23

*Western Sizzlin - 41         Arkoma - 18   

 

Week 3

*Preferred Office - 37      Arkoma - 20

Graduate Sales - 40           Army Surplus - 12

Optimist - 36                     Dale Crampton - 29

Western Sizzlin - 34          National Family - 18  

 

Week 4

*Army Surplus - 31            Arkoma - 35

National Family - 27          Dale Crampton - 25

Western Sizzlin - 31          Preferred Office - 29

Graduate Sales - 20          Optimist - 19 

 

Week 5

*Optimist - 40                  Arkoma - 28

National Family - 41         Graduate Sales - 36 

Dale Crampton - 34          Western Sizzlin - 26

Preferred Office - 35     Army Surplus - 23

 

Week 6

*National Family - 41       Arkoma - 26

Preferred Office - 34     Optimist - 28 

Western Sizzlin - 40       Army Surplus - 21 

Graduate Sales - 27        Dale Crampton - 24 

 

Week 7

*Graduate Sales - 37       Arkoma - 35

National Family - 42         Army Surplus - 21

Preferred Office - 27      Dale Crampton - 24

Western Sizzlin - 34        Optimist - 9 

 

Week 8

Optimist - 34                   Army Surplus - 15

Western Sizzlin - 36        Graduate Sales - 35

National Family - 40         Preferred Office - 38

 

Week 9

*Western Sizz - 40         Arkoma - 24

Optimist - 31                   National Family - 30

Graduate Sales - 35        Preferred Office - 19

Dale Crampton - 42         Army Surplus - 23  

 

 

 

 

FINAL 2013-14 Goldtrap Pee Wee Standings

                                    Conference           Overall

Western Sizzlin               5-1                            8-1       (League Champs)

National Family                4-2                            6-3

Graduate Sales                4-2                            6-3  

Preferred Office            3-3                             4-5

Optimist                          3-3                            6-3  

Dale Crampton                2-4                             3-5 

Army Surplus                  0-6                            0-9

 

 

 

 

Stong 2nd half leads Sizz past Forsgren 28-23!

The first game of the City Tourney is always a challenge. The tough part for us is we got a 1st round bye and went 12 days without playing. We did get one practice in during that stretch but that's not the same. Forsgren played a 1st round game so they had their first game jitters out of the way. Our kids did not and did it show big time early in this one.

The entire 1st quarter we looked like a deer in headlights. Our offense was terrible and our defense wasn't much better. We were lucky that Forsgren missed some easy shots or this one could have been over early. After Forsgren jumped on us 4-0, Ethan Arnold sank a short jumper to finally get us on the scoreboard. After another basket by Forsgren, Jayden Brown scored off an offensive rebound and we had pulled within 6-4 by the end of the 1st quarter. The 2nd quarter things got even worse. Forsgren started knocking down shots and we looked as if we had not practiced all season. We could not get anything going and things didn't look good. We were turning the ball over on most trips down the floor. By the end of the 2nd quarter, Forsgren had a 12-4 lead and we had just finished playing the worst half of basketball we had played all season. 

At halftime we had a very inspirational speech by all three coaches and the kids came out in the 3rd quarter and really responded. Luke Watson and Ty Jones really started attacking the basket and making things happen. Ty would score four quick points to pull us within 14-8. After a Forsgren basket, Luke would knock down a short jumper to make it a 16-10 Forsgren lead. Ethan and Luke would each hit shots and Luke would sink a free throw to pull us within 17-16 by the end of the quarter. We were now starting to move on offense and play the way we are capable of playing. We would outscore Forsgren 12-5 in the quarter and you could feel the game changing in our favor.

The final quarter Luke continued to just take over the game for us. Forsgren had no answer for him the entire 2nd half and he would put us on his back the final 12 minutes of this one. We would take our first lead of the game at 22-21 with a jumper from Ethan. Luke then struck again for a couple more baskets and finally we had put this one away at 28-23. Our defense was awesome in the final 6 minutes of this one. Avery Walker, Jayden Brown, Samuel Carlisle, Ty Jones, Luke and Ethan really turned up the heat on Forsgren and they had no answer. We would escape a close call but the bottom line is we won and advanced to the Elite 8 of the tourney.

 

 

 

Sizz advances to "Final Four" with win over Sertoma

Wow, what a game by our kids today. While we had those first tourney game jitters against Forsgren on Friday night, there were no jitters to start this one. We played a very good Sertoma team and didn't back down from them one inch. We really challenged the kids before the game to come out and punch them in the mouth early and let them know we mean business and that's exactly what our kids did. Sertoma has two AAU players on their team that play for a traveling team out of Little Rock, so we knew this game was going to be a huge challenge for us and our defense.

The opening quarter we came right out and took the fight to them. Our defense was hustling all over the place. Avery Walker and Jayden Brown were making life tough on the Sertoma guards. Ethan Arnold was controlling the paint, while Andrew Buergler did a good job of grabbing three rebounds in the quarter. Noah Ralston was also playing good defense on his side of our zone and was not letting their guards drive past him. It was a very competitive quarter with both teams knocking down a couple of shots and we would take a 6-5 lead after the 1st quarter of play. 

The 2nd quarter I was a little concerned because Sertoma's best player had been on the bench in the opening quarter. Our kids were up to the challenge and continued to battle hard and match them basket for basket. Luke Watson picked up right were he left off on Friday night as he carried us on offense in the 2nd quarter. He would score 8 points in the quarter and helped us tie the game at 14 with just seconds left in the quarter. Sertoma would sink an NBA range 3-pointer at the buzzer and would take a 17-14 lead into the half. 

Despite being down, I was very proud of our kids play in the first half. We had not backed down from them one inch and they knew they were in for a battle. I knew from watching their previous games that they really liked to push the tempo in the 3rd and 4th quarters. I told our kids no long jump shots, because that would lead to long rebounds, which would start their fast breaks. We stressed for them to keep attacking the basket, as Sertoma could not match us on the boards. Our kids came out and played an incredible 3rd quarter and boy was it fun to watch! Ethan would knock down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 17. Luke would drive to the hole for a couple of easy baskets to give us a 21-17 lead. Both teams would exchange a few baskets and we would take a 24-20 lead heading into the final quarter of play. Our defense was so very good in the 3rd quarter. Ty Jones and Ethan Arnold controlled the paint, while Avery, Luke and Samuel kept the Sertoma guards from penetrating our zone. Great job by all the kids.

The final quarter would be as good as we have played all season long. Our offense continued to move well and our guys were cutting to the basket and Sertoma had a hard time keeping up with us. I really challenged Ethan to take over the game in the final 6 minutes of play and man did he respond. He started knocking down shots from all over the floor. At the same time he was attacking the basket and drawing fouls also. Avery and Luke would do a great job of getting him the ball and setting him screens freeing him up for open jumps shots. Sertoma stayed to stay close but their shots quit falling and we were totally controlling the glass. Ethan would reel off 13 points in the quarter and lead us down the home stretch for a 41-33 win in this one.

What a great team effort once again by our kids. I can't say enough by their effort and it was a fun game to be a part of and coach. The win moves us to the City Tourney "Final Four" for the 2nd straight year. We lost last year in the final four to Gerber and guess who we play on Monday night at 6:30. You got it!  

 

 

Sizz Week 10 - Player of the Week - Logan Edwards

Our player of the week for week 10 of the season is Logan Edwards. Logan has really done a good job these last two games playing defense in the 2nd quarter and shutting down his man. This is Logan's first year to play basketball and I have been telling him that every game, I'm gonna give him one job to do and I want him to get it done. These last two games he sure has. His effort has been good and I'm very proud of the way he has accepted the challenge from this ole coach. Great job Logan, we are very proud of you!

 

 

Ethan's 3-pointer at buzzer sends Gerber home!

Wow, is all I can say after this one. We all just witnessed the greatest comeback maybe ever in the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club. We were down 25-10 at the half and things weren't looking good. We made a few adjustments on defense and finally got our offense rollin in the second half. We would outscore a very good Gerber team 27-11 in the 2nd half to punch our ticket to the Pee Wee City Championship.

The opening quarter we came out a little sluggish. We turned the ball over the first couple of trips down the floor and Gerber took and early 4-0 lead. Ethan Arnold finally got us on the board with a jump shot. After a couple more baskets by Gerber, Luke Watson would knock down a couple of free throws to pull us within 9-6 by the end of the quarter. The 2nd quarter the wheels would come off and we fell apart on both ends of the floor. We allowed Gerber to penetrate our zone with ease at times and we turned the ball over on most trips down the floor. They would go on a huge run and this one looked to be over at the half. We found ourself down 25-10 and things weren't looking good. We made a couple of defensive adjustments at the half and on offense we wanted to keep the ball in Ethan's hands as much as possible. He could see over their smaller guards up top and was able to find players cutting to the basket.

The 3rd quarter we would begin our comeback. Ethan would get things started knocking down a 3-pointer. After a basket by Luke Watson, Ethan would drain another three and suddenly the Gerber lead was shrinking. Our defense was doing a much better job stopping their drives and forcing them to take jump shots. Avery Walker made a couple of fanatastic defensive plays in the quarter that really seemed to give us some fire. Ethan would hit yet another three and Avery would do the same at the end of the quarter. Just like that it was a 32-26 Gerber lead. We outscored them 16-7 in the quarter and you could feel the momentum swinging in our favor. Our crowd was up cheering and that seemed to really give the boys a second wind as they started the final quarter.

The final quarter would seem like a blur to me now as I try and write about it. We kept chipping away at their lead. The Gerber kids made a couple of big shots in the quarter and it looked as if we might not have enough in the tank to catch them. We really battled hard on the glass and got some big time rebounds in the quarter. We were holding them to one shot and that was huge for us. They tried to run some clock but our defense forced them into several turnovers. Avery would hit a couple of shots to pull us within 34-30. After a Gerber turnover, Ethan would knock down another jumper to pull us within 34-32. Gerber would score on a basket inside with about one minute left to play. Ethan would hit another shot to pull us within 36-34 with 20 seconds left. Our defense would force Gerber into a turnover and we would get the ball back with 11 seconds left on the clock. We called timeout and set up a play for Ethan to win the game with a 3-pointer. I told Luke to set him a screen and then cut to the free throw line. We told Ethan if he got covered up to look for Luke there, because Gerber was leaving that area wide open the last few possessions. Ethan got trapped and got the ball away to Luke, which drove to the hole but missed the shot. Ty Jones hustled down the rebound in the far corner and saved the ball to Avery just before it went out of bounds. Avery then found an open Ethan, who would drain his fourth three pointer of the game at the buzzer. The crowd went nuts and we had pulled out an unbelieveable 37-36 win.

It was the greatest comeback I've ever been a part of. I can not tell you how proud I am of the kids for not backing down at half. We were down 15 and it would have been so easy for them to cash it in and give up. They did not and battled their way back. Says a lot about the character of kids we have on this team. The win moves us to the Pee Wee City Championship against the #1 seed from Evan, Cole Goodman. They are a very good team and are well coached. Should be a fun game. Game starts at 7:00pm on Thursday. See you all there by 6:30.

 

 

 

2014 Pee Wee Tourney Bracket

Congrats to Cole Goodman for winning the 2014 FSBGC Pee Wee City Championship tourney. They defeated Western Sizzlin of Goldtrap 31-24 in the championship game. Congrats to both teams for great seasons! 

 

 

Handout: 2014 Pee Wee Tourney

Cole Goodman hot shooting downs Sizz in Title game!

Man to say that Cole Goodman was red hot from the field would be an understatement. We used three different defenses to try and slow them down, but nothing worked. We didn't play our best game that's for sure. We seemed to have a lot of nerves and Cole Goodman seemed right at home playing in their own gym. Would have like for this game to be played at Goldtrap. Think it would have been a much different story. But congrats to Cole Goodman on winning the city championship. They are well coached and have a great group of kids. The loss doesn't take away from the great season we had this year. This group of kids went to back-to-back City Final Fours in two years and that's something that doesn't happen out of Goldtrap very often.

 

 

 

Sizz Week 11 - Player of the Week - Noah Ralston

 

Our player of the week for the final week of the season is Noah Ralston. Noah played great defense all season for us and always gives 100%. He is a great kid and is very willing to learn. Noah had some tough defensive assignments throughout the season but never backed down. He is a big reason we finished the season as the Goldtrap league champs and went to the title game in the city tourney. Great job Noah, we are very proud of you!