The freshman boys basketball team is off to a hot start this season behind good shooting and a tight defense.
The Wolves have started the season with an 8-2 record in the MSHSAA freshman division. The offense put up big numbers behind good perimeter play behind freshmen Jamar Black, Ryder Benefiel and Chris Dowdy. They are dominating the paint with freshmen Gavin Herbers and Tristan Moss.
¨We have a great group of guys; they have great energy. They just roll with it, whatever happens to us we just accept and respond well,¨ Coach Nicholas Purcell said.
This team contains most of the same players of the South Middle Wolves eighth-grade team who won the eighth-grade tournament last season, capping off an undefeated season. Team chemistry is playing a big part in their success so far this season according to freshmen Ryder Benefiel and Jamar Black.
¨Our team chemistry is perfect right now. We all know each other very well, and we´re all friends. That makes it easy for us to play good together,¨ freshman starter Black said.
The Wolves have depth on the bench, with players like Dowdy shooting well. The bench has been putting up points crucial in putting the dagger into teams the Wolves have played so far.
¨Our offense has been doing well, but the bench is also scoring a lot and helping us win games,¨ freshman starter Ryder Benefiel said.
The offense has been great, but the defense has been stellar. The Wolves have only given up more than 40 points in two games so far this season. The ball-first defense has been swarming the ball and causing chaos on offenses usually used to playing a slow-tempo offense.
¨Defense wins championships, I mean, looking at the stats. If we hold a team to 40 points and under, we´ve won all seven of our games right there. Every time a team scores more than 40, we end up on the wrong side of things. I think just defensively the boys have locked in,¨ Purcell said.
The Wolves are a bigger team than most other teams they play against. The size allows them to play well in the paint, which creates open shots behind the arc for the Wolves.
¨We have a plethora of talent on this team. Some days shooting is our forte, other days we have to find other advantages,¨ Purcell said.