On November 30th the St.George’s Varsity basketball team played their home opener against the defending provincial champions, Walnut Grove. Fellow students, teachers, parents, as well as Georgians all came out to support the Saints take on the Gators on home court. Though it was a tough and exhilarating match, fans were forced to take in a disappointing loss as Saints fell short 77-69. Nonetheless, the Saints looked strong and persevered all through the four quarters.

Right from the tip off, the Walnut Grove Gators got up and pounced on St. George’s. Hitting a variety of shots, Walnut Grove made it clear that they weren’t going to be easy on the fresh St. George’s team, who started the game off looking shaky. Jadon Cohee (WGSS) led an 8-2 run early in the first quarter and continued a dominant run until mid-way through the second quarter. However, the Saints immediately answered with a series of baskets led by Ethan Scott and Mark Jacobs to keep Saints in the game.

Coming into the game, the St. George’s co-captain Mark Jacobs, commented, “We had nothing to lose. We knew they were a very good team and we knew we had a chance to compete with them.” The new transfer student from Fiji got off to a rather slow start, missing his first 4 shots including 2 free throws, as the tough Walnut Grove defense held him to just 4 points in the first quarter.

Immediately after halftime, the Saints got off to a 10-0 run to even the score at 37. Mark Jacobs recalled, “improving my defence led to confidence in shooting and smarter shot selection.” This ultimately led to Jacobs recording 8 points in the 3rd quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Saints turned up the intensity and kept the game to 8 points for the majority of the time. However, close to the last 5 minutes of the game, Ethan Scott was tripped during a play and lay on the court for a few minutes. After visiting the bench to make sure there was no injury, he was put back onto the court. Scott showed that he would not be fazed by anything as he scored on consecutive plays to keep the Saints hope of winning alive.

The Saints battled furiously, competing for every rebound and attempting to out-hustle the Gators. However, the Gators came back with a 20-8 run that eventually gave them control of the game. Jadon Cohee and Bryce Anderson led the drive, as they combined for 35 of Walnut Grove’s 77 points. Despite their attempts to keep up with the pace of the Gators the Saints fell short by a mere 8 points. The game ending score was Walnut Grove 77- St.George’s 69. The leading scorers for the Saints were Marc Jacobs, 21 points, and Ethan Scott, 20 points.

After the game, Mark Jacobs commended Walnut Grove’s unstinting defence and fundamental offence. “It was very hard to take in, but we still have time to improve. It’s still very early in the season and we have a team that has the potential to win a provincial title.”

The Saints have a long season ahead of them as they prepare for their playoff run. Go Saints Go!