A tough 59-56 loss to Poolesville on Friday left the boys basketball team with questions, and coach G.J. Kissal shaking his head.
The Rams suffered their second straight loss after a four-game winning streak that had boosted their confidence as they entered the final three weeks of the season.
“We didn’t do 'us' today,” Kissal said after the game. “When we won four straight, we found something that we felt make us successful, and we got away from that tonight.”
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The Rams jumped out to a 21-15 lead after one quarter, and took a five point lead into halftime. Nine different players scored in the first half, led by sophomore Brian Ball, who drained two three-pointers in the first quarter.
Despite taking the lead, the Rams committed seven fouls in the first quarter, and committed two more in the opening 20 seconds of the second quarter. The team also looked lackadaisical at times on the glass, which gave Poolesville multiple opportunities at baskets.
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Early in the second quarter Ean Hill-Addison was on the free throw line for Poolesville. The Falcons pulled their players back, conceding the rebound to Rockville if Hill-Addison missed. The shot went off the rim, yet Hill-Addison was able to beat four Rams players to the ball, and finished with a layup. The play enraged Kissal, who immediately pulled all five players off the floor, sending in a whole new lineup.
“That was absolutely inexcusable,” Kissal said. “It shows a lack of effort, and [was] embarrassing, so I wanted to make that point to them.”
The teams battled in the second half, though sloppy defensive play led Kissal to call several timeouts in the third quarter. The Rams took a 43-38 lead in to the fourth quarter, but it only took one minute for Poolesville to erase that lead, behind the hot perimeter shooting by Anthony Papagjika. Papagjika hit five three-pointers in the game. Two of those came in the fourth quarter, including a big one with less than a minute left that set up a frantic finish.
Rockville's Obed Rivera-Reyes hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 55 with 36 seconds left. The Falcons got the ball to Zach Snead inside. Snead drew a foul and hit two free throws to give Poolesville the lead. On the other end of the court, Rivera-Reyes drove the lane, drawing a foul. He was only able to make one of two free throws, and after fouling Poolesville to stop the clock, Rockville missed a three at the buzzer that would have tied the game.
“We didn’t defend the way we’re capable of, especially in the second half,” Kissal said. “Poolesville is a very well-coached, and very fundamental team, but they don’t want games to be scored in the upper 50s … We just allowed them to score too much, and didn’t get enough stops.”
The loss drops the Rams to 7-11 on the season. Poolesville improved to 12-7.
Rockville next plays at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday at .
