Suffield’s boys basketball team took on Somers at home on Tuesday, January 7th. The game was an absolute thriller, as fans expected Suffield to get pummeled by them. However, to everyone’s surprise, Suffield lost with dignity by keeping it a one-possession loss. The boys kept a close score throughout most of the game, being down by 12 at their absolute lowest. When things went downhill, they made a lot of quick plays and recoveries that kept viewers from both sides at the edge of their seats. Overall, the result of the game was a pleasant surprise for Suffield fans, players, and coaches, regardless of the final score.
Sophomore standout Nate Gunn scored 22 points in the clash. His shots during the game consisted of very athletic layups and open-look threes. The way he can stretch the floor when he has the ball is very impressive for a sophomore. However, this also came with many turnovers. There were some crucial possessions where he would lose the ball due to a silly mistake or take a contested three that would be easily rebounded by the other team. Even though he turned the ball over and made mistakes, his last 5-minute stretch allowed Suffield to almost taste victory. Nate also talked about what lesson he can take into the next game. “One lesson that I can take for myself is to execute and wake up in the second half. I started slow in the second half…… then I probably would have had a smaller margin to come back with.” He says this because the team was down 12 at the end of the third quarter with 7 unanswered points. Towards the end, he repeatedly would run at the rim to attract the help defense and dish out the ball to the shooters of the team, Colin Faber and Ryan Organ.
Colin Faber is a veteran of the varsity team and even more, a captain. He plays an important shooting role within the team, and during the first half he had a shooting drought of 1-5 from three which isn’t like him. On the court he was angry with himself because he wasn’t in his zone. Although our basketball team is considered a “first half team,” Colin helped dish out important passes to the team so they could come back from their 12-point deficit. Colin went 2-10 from beyond the arc and says that he will work on “shooting the ball a little bit less if I can’t get anything. Next game, I’m going to try and take more shots and hit them, and if I’m not, I just have to pass the ball and stop shooting.” Colin also had recent shooting struggles against Windsor Locks in the season opener but has a clear mind going forward between both games. He will prioritize becoming more of a dimer when he can’t make his shots but will be more of a popper when he can. The flexibility Colin has is what makes him a great team player.
Regardless of only being able to fit in one practice prior to the game, head coach Michael Barile was hopeful that the team’s intense energy and work ethic would pay off. “I was really happy with the players ability to take what we did in practice and execute it. We did a better job screening actual defenders. We waited for screens instead of just running by guys. We got into the paint and created more shots, which led to more points represented.” You can feel Barile’s pride through the way he talks about his players. Being the coach of a young team, he elaborated on how he needed to shift the boys’ goals to focus more on improving and competing and less on the final score. This mindset is what makes Barile such a remarkable coach and the reason his players feel so driven to improve themselves. “As long as we play to the best of our ability and improve every day, that is a product that I am proud of,” Barile finished off, encapsulating the charm and hope he brings to the team, even in a tight loss like this one.
With the team’s new perspective shift and learning from their mistakes, they’re preparing to bounce back bigger and better for the rest of the season. If all goes to plan, alongside gaining these valuable experiences, the boys will also be able to rack up more wins to make the playoffs.
