By Devin Prasad
Executive Sports Editor
The boys’ basketball game won their first game of the season in dominating fashion beating Walther Lutheran 69-14 on November 24. Besides being the first game of the season it was the Knights’ first game in the St. Viator Thanksgiving Tournament.
Early in the first half the Knights jumped to a quick 28-2 lead and did not look back from there. An early scare came in the first quarter when senior guard Kyle Beyak took a tough fall of an and 1 lay up. Beyak was walked to the bench by his teammates where he iced his elbow. Beyak remained on the bench for the remainder of the quarter.
When the second quarter began, Beyak was back in ending speculation of a serious injury. The Knights’ kept pressure on the Broncos for the entire first half and they walked to the locker room up 54-7.
A big story in the game was the Knights’ pressure on the defensive end. The team forced 26 turnovers and allowed only four baskets.
Another key aspect of the game was that the Knights were able to play their entire roster aside from junior Pasquale Atteo who was out with an injury. The playing time gave crucial experience to players who have not played at a varsity level.
“It was fun to get the nerves out, to get everyone off the bench, and supporting each other,” said junior guard Scott Baackes.
The team still feels they can improve on their shoot percentage. The Knights shot 39% from the field and head coach John Camardella feels that in many games a number like that would not lead to a win for the team.
Looking forward the Knights face Conant on November 25, Highland Park on the 26th, and finally St. Viator on November 29 to end the tournament.
“The first two weeks are always a bit of a blur. It’s that initial part of the season where you never know what is going to happen. So it is nice to get [a game] under our belt,” Camardella said. “It’s nice to feel like the season is off and going. We have a ton of work ahead of us.”