Cape Cod Tech boys basketball team remembers identity in scrappy win over Sturgis West
HARWICH -- The mark of a good team is the ability to make adjustments during a game.
For the Cape Cod Tech boys basketball team, that moment came at halftime of their 39-33 win over Sturgis West on Friday.
"At halftime we talked about intensity. We felt like it was quiet out there in the first half, (and) we weren't talking," Cape Tech junior Trevor Ryone said. "We decided to talk on switches and be more vocal, and it helped us out."
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Yet still, the Crusaders came out a little flat in the second half. The Navigators began the half on a 8-3 run, turning 19-15 deficit into a 23-22 lead. Cape Tech coach Brent Warren called a timeout to give his team a chance to reset.
Over the remainder of the quarter, the Crusaders defense tightened up and the offense eventually followed. They closed the quarter on an 8-3 run of their own to lead 30-26.
"They started remembering, what do we do at practice? Who are we? What got us here?," Warren said about what sparked the run. "They just turned that on for that three minutes."
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Who they are is a team built on movement on the offensive end and communication on the defensive end. The Cape Tech offense is designed around perpetual motion and its led to a lot of success this season.
"Always moving, always trying to find a switch or a back door that a defender isn't covering," Ryone said, "It's been our game all year and it's been working for the most part."
Ryone led all scorers with 14 and acted as a focal point for the offense and was a creator and scorer throughout the night.
But it went far beyond him. At any given point you can find that all of the Crusaders are moving on offense, cutting, screening, and crashing for rebounds, and Warren says thats exactly how it should be.
"My offense that I put in this year, is a read-and-react offense," said Warren. "The only thing that you can do wrong, is do nothing,"
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The benefit of this offense Warren said, are possessions in which the ball never stops moving, and everybody gets involved.
"The greatest part about this offense, is that we're not reliant on a star," said Warren. "Everybody is involved in it, and it works good."
Both Warren and Ryone credit the two team captains, Lucas Gurski and Josh Wiggin, as the pair who lead this team, but Ryone said everyone steps up on what is a relatively young team.
"We have our two captains and they've done an awesome job," said Ryone. "They're definitely our two biggest leaders, but everyone has stepped up in a way to help someone out."
For example, late in the game, Gurski missed a layup and was visibly frustrated with himself. After getting subbed out, it wasn't Warren giving the pep talk to his captain, it was Shane Whitman on the bench picking him up.
"You’re playing great defense. You impacted the game, it doesn't matter, keep your head up." Whitman said, encouraging his captain.
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That's the type of interaction that makes coach Warren proud, and that's what he said is defining this group.
"I really like the team, I like all the kids on it," Warren said. They committed to each other early on. ... I'm a really lucky to be able to coach a group of guys like this."
The Crusaders are in the midst of an impressive season. At 11-3, Cape Tech has already locked up a state tournament spot.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Tech boys basketball in midst of strong season
