MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The Heat was fired up against the Bulls in a 7- to 9-year-old youth basketball game at the IronWorks Gym sports courts here Feb. 24.
Like the 5- to 6-year-old division, the 7- to 9-year-old division does not keep score since the players are so young.
The Bulls started strong and took possession from the get-go. The Heat defense started flaring up, but the Bulls’ exceptional passing kept the Heat players at bay.
Landon Rakestraw, Heat point guard, was able to get a hold of the ball and ran the court but missed the layup. Kris Wood, Bulls forward guard, snatched the rebound and sprinted ahead of his opponents to get a layup of his own.
Wood furthered his skillful demonstration and stole the ball. Shortly thereafter, with help from his teammates, Wood sunk another basket.
The Bulls continued to dominate and stole the ball again.
Rakestraw, not wanting to be outdone, stole the ball back and got a shot of his own.
With 1:45 left in the first quarter the Heat put up a fight, but the Bulls players’ animalistic rage made their defense too strong for the Heat to contend with.
“I think our defense played well,” Ebrima Jallow, Heat assistant coach, said. “Offensively, I think we could have done a lot better, but that is something we can work on during practice.”
Chance Byers, Heat forward guard, rebounded after a failed attempt to score. Wood outplayed Byers to get the ball but was unable to get the shot.
With 30 seconds left in the quarter, Wood was finally able to get the shot he wanted, ending the first quarter on his terms.
“I thought the game was fun because we were all playing around,” Wood said.
Chandler Pigge, Bulls power forward, started the second quarter off with a bang by making a long-distance basket.
Wood led the Bulls stampede against the Heat, but Matthew Tanglao, Heat center, stole the ball from Colson Baggs, Bulls forward guard. The Bulls defense stepped up their game again and Tanglao wasn’t able to convert on the steal.
Rakestraw stopped the Bulls in their tracks as he made a comeback of his own. The Heat’s confidence was building again until Baggs stomped the Heat’s fire out by making a shot with a minute left in the second quarter.
“The kids were practicing the basics of the game and sportsmanship, so they did well tonight,” Brian Goering, Bulls head coach, said.
The Heat’s offense kept the Bulls on their toes, but all attempts to sink a bucket in the remaining second quarter failed.
Pigge fought for the ball at the start of the third quarter. Rakestraw dominated as he plucked the ball and shot a bucket halfway through the quarter.
Wood rallied his team. Their teamwork came through for Pigge. His teammates passed him the ball and he sank another bucket for his team, ending the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was when the players really let loose. The Heat quickly stole the ball from the Bulls. The Bulls fought back but Braiden Chatigny, Heat point guard, rebounded and kept the ball in the Bulls court. Sebastian Barrientos, Bulls small forward, attempted to retaliate but to no avail.
After Rakestraw sank a bucket, Wood came back with a score of his own.
Baggs was fouled but couldn’t get the free points.
Both teams battled to end of the game with no other shots being made.