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Last Preseason Game against Mercyhurst a Learning Opportunity for Colts

(L to R) Head Coach Trevor Challenger, Joshua Sales and Kyrin Henlin hope to apply the lessons learned in their preseason match against NCAA Division II Mercyhurst Lakers. The Colts face the George Brown Huskies in their home opener.
(L to R) Head Coach Trevor Challenger, Joshua Sales and Kyrin Henlin hope to apply the lessons learned in their preseason match against NCAA Division II Mercyhurst Lakers. The Colts face the George Brown Huskies in their home opener.
Posted: Oct 12, 2019

By: Teru Ikeda

(Scarborough, ON) – On Thanksgiving weekend, the Centennial Colts faced NCAA Division II Mercyhurst Lakers from Pennsylvania. The Colts were defeated 92-60 in their last preseason game and now prepare for their home opener against the George Brown Huskies.

The exhibition game started ceremoniously with a gift exchange, and the Canadian and American national anthems were honoured.

Despite the 32-point blowout, bright spots emerged in the second and third quarter; Centennial won the second 21-19 and only lost the third 22-21.

After a Colts timeout at the top of the second quarter, last season's OCAA East Rookie of the Year Kyrin Henlin initiated a scoring surge with 12 points in the second quarter. Henlin led the Colts in scoring with 21 points. Walshak Yusef flushed a monstrous two-handed dunk at the end, which brought the Lady Colts watching to their feet.

The Colts kept fighting in the third quarter, briefly narrowing the Mercyhurst lead down to single digits. Zach McIntire, Mercyhurst guard, however, widened the lead back to double digits after splashing a three-pointer. Trystan Pratapas and Daniel Ogele led the Lakers with 20 points apiece.

The Colts were still down 17 at the end of the third quarter, and lost the horsepower to keep going, losing 26-11 in the final frame.

But with losses come learning opportunities. Playing exhibition games against competitive teams like Mercyhurst allowed Trevor Challenger, Colts Head Coach, to experiment with defensive schemes and different plays.

The Colts tried a zone defense at times, but too many rebounds were snagged by the Mercyhurst offense.

"When you're playing zone, you got to make sure you've got guys in the right spots for rebounding sake. But ahh, we tried something," sighed Challenger.

Offensively, it seemed the Colts resorted to isolation plays to score the ball. 

"Sometimes (the offensive play) may look like an iso, but really and truly, it wasn't supposed to be an iso, it was supposed to be a play," admitted Challenger. Certain set plays could not be executed against the Mercyhurst defense, and the Coltsl look to tweak their tactics before the season kicks off.


CATCH OUR HOME OPENER 

Join the basketball action as the Colts face the George Brown Huskies on Friday, October 18th at the Athletic and Wellness Centre Progress Gym.