It looked like a classic David and Goliath match-up comparing the Quest University men's basketball team to their older, bulkier rivals during warm-up on Saturday night (Nov. 10).
Quest stood up to the Sons of Blue Angels - a team made up mostly of ex-university players from the Lower Mainland and Washington - to follow through with the biblical plot in the form of a 102-81 victory at their home court in the highlands.While they remain undefeated at home, it was the first time Quest tallied triple digits in a game this season. The new varsity team is in its demonstration season in the BC College Athletic Association.
Quest countered strength with speed, exploiting a short Angels' bench that only had one substitute. Coach Steve Anderson said the team has been dedicating solid practice time to conditioning training so they can wear down bigger teams.
"I think our game plan and style works well against a team if we can run them up and down the court. If they're not conditioned it's a big advantage for us," he said. "They've got the girth and we've got the quickness."
Gaining ball possession and moving it to the open man are key, but it was Quest's remarkable shooting success that took the wind from under the Angels' wings. Tyler Thorau's finger-tips torched from outside the three-point line with nine points, and he added another 16 points inside.
Near the end, Bryce Froberg made a quick steal and sent a gorgeous behind-the-back pass to a breaking Thorau, who casually jogged in for the lay-up.The offensive front is gaining confidence game after game, said Anderson. It takes time for the team, which is made up of all first-year university students, to adjust to a higher calibre of play against experienced senior teams.
"Early in the season we were struggling to score and really it was a matter of guys getting used to playing at this level, understanding the quickness that you have to get shots off. In high school they get the ball and can hold on to it for a while, but at this level you have to know what you're doing with it before you get the ball."
Quest knew what they were doing from the get-go, gaining a small lead in the first quarter and building on it in the second. At the half they were leading 55-46.Rebounding isn't always Quest's forte, but they were all over the ball in the fourth quarter. Domination around the basket mixed with a series of lightening-quick steals amounted to 30 points in the fourth quarter versus the Angels' 17 points.
Quest point guard Bryan Davis made Quest b-ball history with the lay-up that broke 100 points.
"That's what we have to do more often, rebound and get it done," said Davis, who ended up with 13 points. "We've always been good shooters so pretty much we've got to hit our shots all the time and that's what we did tonight."
Spreading the shots out, too, kept the Angels guessing. Kyle Thorau had 15 points, Mike Greer sunk 13, Froberg was good for 11, Tyson Compton had 10, and Andrew Gini tallied 8 points.With two wins and no losses at home, Quest is set for a double-header this weekend in 樱桃视频where they hope to improve on the season's 2-10 record. After the women's team plays Columbia Bible College on Friday (Nov. 16) at 6 p.m., the men play at 8 p.m.
The Sons of Blue Angels return on Saturday (Nov. 17), likely with more, if not necessarily bulkier, bodies.
