By Coach Lenny Dale, Athletic Director and Physical Education Teacher
Emerson’s boys varsity basketball team had their home opener Thursday evening, after an up and down start on the road. Having overwhelmed Spiritus Sanctus, but then falling at Ann Arbor Christian in a tight one, Emerson hosted Steiner School.
The Eagles had a hard time getting going offensively, but the defense threw a shutout through the first nine (minutes), by which time the offense was starting to get it in gear, and Emerson took a 16-2 lead into the halftime intermission. It was more of the same in the second half, the lead growing, the defense stifling and, save for 3 Steiner points in the last minute, the final opponents tally would have been the same paltry 6 that Spiritus Sanctus managed. The Eagles, meanwhile, put up a well-balanced 44, all coming in the paint, 9 players scoring, Gabe Kellman and Nikhil Gunaratnam sharing high game honors with 10 apiece, Joseph Alphonso chipping in 8 and Maoz Bareket 6. Perhaps the most telling statistics were the 27-12 edge in rebounding, along with 10 steals (to none) and 2 blocked shots (also to none).
Emerson next hosts St Paul Tuesday, 11/22, before heading into the Thanksgiving break.
