The game had been a blow for blow contest between Fargo South & Davies that saw the Eagles up by a layup at the half. Six minutes into the final 18, Davies had taken control of the game. It would be easy to say that they extended their lead in the early minutes of the second due to an amplified pressure or did a better job hitting shots. Neither seemed to be the case though. Obviously they hit more shots than South to outscore them, but the factor that served as the catalyst for their run to the finish was as subtle as it will ever be. Maybe the credit falls to South more than to Davies. Again though, it was hard to see a difference in the play during the second half compared to the first. But the score was drastically different.
Modern Basketball could lead to the disparity being attributed to an onslaught of shots from behind the arc. That wasn't it either though, South actually scored five 3's compared to only two from Davies. But the Eagles finished with a 14 point advantage over the final 18. I love trying to figure out exactly what lead to the results on the court but for the life of me, I didn't see anything that clearly indicated that the Eagles were going to steam roll. On the surface it seems like an anomaly, but as I dove into the box score the fog of mystery began to dissipate.
Lead by Jaden Klabo's 19 and Cameron Van Dam's 18 the Eagles finished with nine players in the scoring column. If that's the recipe that they can put together on gamely basis then that bodes well for their chances this season. Also may be a clue as to how they outplayed the Bruins like they did.
It may be a moral victory, but FSH got to drive north with the game's high scorer - Dany Lahai's 20. Outside of he and Kiir Mabor (12), the offense struggled to consistently finish on possessions.
Credit for that could & maybe should go to the Eagle's defense. It's so early in the season that it could have just been a bad half too. They play each other again in a couple weeks so even though the final score may not indicate it, that could be a game very much worth attending!
For now though, let's get on with the fun stuff!
Players of the Game
A one point difference between the winning teams high scorers requires a deeper dive into the stats. Klabo & Van Dam were also a single rebound different while Klabo was credited with two assists but none were listed for Van Dam. That's a narrow enough margin to split it between the two!
Jaden Klabo
Cameron Van Dam
Photo of the Game
To see the full gallery from the game, click the pic!