Movin the Nest Out West

Movin the Nest Out West

The saying defense wins championships can be known as a common truth. This past Tuesday, the Lennox Orioles went to take on the Canton C-Hawks to see who would make a State A visit. The Orioles and C-Hawks showed their ability to have great defense and in the end, the defense won the championship.

The Orioles were focused on holding Canton low and not allowing three pointers. Coming off of a 45% three point performance, Lennox had to hold that down or Canton would go to Rapid. In the end, Canton shot 15% from the three point line and Lennox had accomplished their goal.

This means a lot for the Lennox Orioles. They are headed to the State “A” Championship Tournament to be held in Rapid City on March 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st. The Orioles are a very excited and rallied team who is ready to get a big win at State.

I had a chance to talk with Coach Paul McVey about the previous Canton game and he had this to say, “Defense.  We played exceptional half-court defense and we guarded the three-point shot incredibly well which was Canton's strength.  We took away their strength and made them feel uncomfortable.  Offensively, they did a good job guarding us and we struggled to make shots, but because we played outstanding defense we knew that we would make plays down the stretch and the outcome would be in our favor.” I also asked him how excited he was to be going to State and he replied with “we are very excited to go to State.  It is nice when all of your hard work and sacrifice gets rewarded and recognized.  Not every athlete and coach gets to experience that.  We are very honored and humbled.”

That brought me to my next question, I asked him what the key was to stopping Aberdeen’s high powered offense. He replied with, “Aberdeen has an offense that revolves around making you turn it over so they can get easy buckets in transition.  They have solid post play so they are good at going inside-out.  They have a terrific shooter and scorer in McNeary and they have some guys that can spot up and hit the open 3.  Our defensive is predicated on shutting down transition opportunities, keep teams out of the paint and posting up, and giving great pressure on passes and shots.  I like our chances of getting stops.  We have faced other high-powered offenses this year and have done well.” I finally asked him what do you want to say to the fan base? He said, “We believe we have the best team and fans in South Dakota.  State Tournament gives a chance to prove it!  We are looking forward to getting the crowd fired up by our play and I am sure the crowd is looking forward to getting us fired up in return. Our theme this week is "Movin' the Nest Out West"...it is going to be a great experience turning Rapid City into "BirdLand".

I thanked Coach McVey and then I left. These are all valid points and the players agree that firing up the crowd with their play is very exciting. They also like when the Lennox Oriole fans get loud and rowdy. Collin McEntee says one of his favorite basketball memories is slapping the floor and throwing his hands up with 5 minutes left in the Region 4A championship and seeing everyone rise to their feet. It was a great moment for everyone. We are very excited to have the Lennox Orioles heading to State and there are still tickets available. So grab them while their hot and come on out.

Have a great day and Gooooo Orioles!

Written By:

Grant Sweeter

Senior Lennox High School

Manager- Lennox Boys Basketball