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Tribe Begins New Year with Big Second Half in Road Win vs. Preston as Robey Pleased with Early Start

By Jeff Toquinto on January 07, 2019 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

The New Year for the Bridgeport High School boys’ basketball team started in Preston County. And the start in Kingwood against Preston High didn’t begin as planned.
 
“It was frustrating to say the least,” said BHS Coach Mike Robey.
 
The Indians managed to overcome a sluggish first half aided by woeful free throw shooting to end up knocking off the Knights by an 82-59 score. The win left the Indians at 6-1 on the young season.
 
Just how bad was the foul shooting? Despite getting up 16 attempts, the Indians only made six of them and that total included more than one miss on the front end of bonus situations.
 
“What made it frustrating was we were getting the ball where we wanted. That’s not a knock on Preston’s defense, but our offense was in rhythm. We would get to the rim and get fouled and then miss a couple or get in transition and draw a foul and miss the front end of a one and one,” said Robey. “The foul line became defensive stops for Preston. That may sound odd, but that’s the way it was.”
 
As a coach, that’s the type of thing that gnaws at you.”
 
The good news was that the first half would prove to be an anomaly. The Indians turned a 32-27 lead at the half into a runaway win thanks to the offense putting up a 50-spot in the final two quarters.
 
The big frame would prove to be the third quarter. The Indians scored 28 points to Preston’s 14 and turned a five-point lead into a commanding 19-point advantage by the time the fourth frame began.
 
“We shot better from the foul line and our offense got better as we worked it inside and out. That’s a simple basketball equation and it worked for us,” said Robey.
 
Tanner Bifano and John Ross Mazza proved to be the inside and the outside in the game, respectively. Both players would finish the contest with 22 points.
 
“The thing with John Ross is he’s always been a good shooter, but what helps is when he gets an open look because the ball’s been kicked to him from the inside and we did that in the second half,” said Robey. “They pinched inside and it makes it harder on the defense to react after that because they have to race out to 18 feet to cover a guy like John Ross.”
 
The reason for the pinching was the play of Bifano. The senior big man also added a game-high 11 rebounds for BHS.
 
“Tanner was upset at halftime because he missed some foul shots and opportunities,” said Robey. “Tanner established himself in the second half and that just opened stuff up for the outside shooters and we have plenty along with John Ross. We have a lot of guys that can score.”
 
BHS finished with four players in double figures. Nick Stalnaker added 11 points and Jake Bowen 10 in what turned into a blowout.
 
So where does that leave the Indians as the New Year begins?
 
“From game one we’ve progressed,” said Robey. “Our goal is to get better every day in practice and in games and I think I’m seeing that. The good thing is that this team takes criticism and tries to act on it.”
 
Robey pointed to the season-opening game where the Indians won, but were handled on the boards by Tucker County. Since then, rebounding hasn’t been nearly as problematic.
 
“I was disappointed and I mentioned it to our kids that I was disappointed. After that, pretty much every night Jake Bowen and Tanner Bifano have dominated and they get plenty of help,” Robey said. “I’m not surprised because that’s how these kids are made up; it’s their mentality. They see it as a challenge and respond and the rebounding case is just one example.”
 
Robey said defensively, there’s still room for improvement and he continues to see that improvement. Offensively, he’s pleased with how the team shares the ball.
 
“We’re still a work in progress and there are still things that are up to myself and Coach (Zack) Bart to fix,” said Robey. “I’m happy, particularly with the team’s balance and the fact we’re making strides every day.”
 
The balance isn’t hyperbole. All five BHS starters average double figures with Bifano leading the way at 15.4 points per night. Stalnaker follows at 13.4 and then it’s Bowen (12.4), Mazza (11.8) and Blake Bowers (11.5).
 
Bridgeport is back in action Tuesday. The Indians host Grafton at 7:30 p.m.
 
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Tanner Bifano taking the ball to the basket, while the second photo is of John Ross Mazza firing one from long range. In the bottom photo, Coach Mike Robey provides some instrustruction to his team during a timeout. Photos are by www.benqueenphotography.com.


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