Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Rainmakers Roll into the Quarters with strong Game One performance

Opening Day for the 2015 AAA Provincials gave Rainmaker fans much to smile about on Wednesday.

As the Northwest Zones champions made it clear that there is but one thing on their mind for their journey to Langley, looking to book a return date for Championship game.

The Charles  Hays squad took to the court for their mid-day tip off with Mark Isfeld and quickly set the pace of play for their opening round match up.

Getting off to a quick jump on the Comox Valley squad, at one time building to an 11 point lead before the Ice began to push back a bit.

A late quarter readjustment saw Isfeld pull to within three of the Rainmakers at the end of the first, with Charles Hays holding a 16-13 lead after the first ten minutes of play.

The Second quarter provided for a bit more breathing room for the Rainmakers as they made good use of the three point shot to put down the Isfeld comeback push, outscoring the Comox team 22-11 in the second quarter, taking a 38 to 24 lead into the dressing room at half time.

The third quarter offered up much more of a balanced game as the two squads traded off scoring opportunities and baskets.

The Rainmaker play made good use of some impressive ball distribution, with the end result finding the ball in the hands of either Justin McChesney or Kaine Wesley, who made the best of their scoring opportunities, both in the key and from three point land.

And while Isfeld kept pace with the Rainmakers on the third quarter score sheet, with Charles Hays holding a one point advantage 17-16, the  three quarter time totals of CHSS 55 - Isfeld 40 left no doubt as to the steep hill that the Comox team was facing.

The final frame delivered the lowest number of scoring plays of the game, partly thanks to the Rainmakers playing strong defensively and slowing the game down at key points.

They also benefited from their hard earned lead, as the Ice desperate to try and create some momentum began to take long shot attempts, which for the most part rattled off back boards and rims with little danger of grabbing some net.

The only quarter that the Ice outscored the Rainmakers in was the fourth, a 9-7 edge, but not quite enough to claw away at the giant lead that the Rainmakers had built earlier, a gap which carried Charles Hays on to the final buzzer and a 62-49 first round victory.

4 Quarters played, Rainmakers win, move on to the Quarter finals

Among some of the notes for review on Day One, was the work ethic of all the Rainmakers on the court. A squad that was rarely out of position and moving the ball with authority, keeping the Ice off balance for the majority of the game.

Rosendo Masocol in particular highlighted the Rainmakers sense of ball control and strong passing efforts, and while he only had 2 points on the score sheet on the day, his six assists provide the evidence of his ability to dish it off at just the right moment.

Defensively, Justin McChesney loomed large in the Charles Hays end, knocking down a number of Isfeld shots and controlling the boards with authority, denying the challengers any form of a rebound opportunity.

The tandem of McChesney and Kaine Wesley provided for an offensive display that set the pace of the Rainmaker attack, leading to both recording 19 points by the time the final buzzer would be heard. Perry Terrell was next on the Rainmaker Scoring sheet with 10 points on the afternoon.

The success of both McChesney and Wesley through the game, made for a tough decision when it came to the player of the game selection, with Kaine edging out his Rainmaker team mate for the Day one honours.

You can review the full box score for the day one win here.

To get a better understanding of the Rainmaker dominance on the court on the day, the review of the Team Match ups paints a pretty good picture of where the Rainmakers were on their game on Wednesday.

With points in the paint, three point scoring, second chance points and points off turnovers all key to the Rainmaker success.

That game final report can be examined here.

With win number one in the books, the Rainmakers now look to Thursday and their Quarter Final showdown with Robert Bateman.

The Abbotsford squad moved on to the quarter finals with a 63-52 victory over Matthew McNair earlier in the day.

Tip off for the Rainmakers and the Timberwolves is 3:30 PM

Charles Hays Roster
(Click to enlarge)
Robert Bateman Roster
(Click to Enlarge)













Some media notes on the Rainmakers next opponent can be found below:

Robert Bateman wins first-ever game at boys provincial basketball championships
Abbotsford Boys Basketball Teams Undefeated After Day One

Game time updates and background on the Rainmakers can be bound on the CHSS Sports twitter feed, which offers up a unique look at the progress of the team through provincials.

For more items related to the AAA Tournament see our Tournament Results page here.

As well, to review the Rainmaker season to this point see our Charles Hays Rainmakers Archive page.


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