The Quest Kermodes men's basketball team started and finished strong but their play in the second and third quarters cost them the game during their first home exhibition contest on Friday (Oct. 22).
The team fell to Capilano University 68-62 and head coach Sean Shook stressed that the team needs to find more ways to score and wants them to increase their aggression on the offensive boards.
"Our guys need to realize that sometimes it's a street fight out there," Shook said of the disparity in rebounds. "You don't necessarily have to be in the key, a lot of their boards came from perimeter guys crashing in and being aggressive."
The Kermodes were out-shot by Capilano 63-51 on the contest, including a 29-23 Capilano advantage on the offensive glass. But it was also their play in the second and third quarters that cost them as the team was outscored 35-21 over the two frames.
"The second and third quarter really killed us," he said. "We came out flat in the third and we spent so much energy fighting back. But we've got to find more ways to score."
A number of Kermodes struggled from the field including Brodan Robertson who shot 1/10, Bryce Froberg who shot 2/10 and Tyler Thorau who missed all 15 shots he took. The team shot 26 per cent for the game, while Capilano were good on 30 per cent of their attempts.
Quest came out strong in the first quarter, ending the opening frame up by 1 but their struggles began in the second. The team got into foul trouble and Capilano took advantage, building a nine-point lead late in the second. The first half ended with Capilano holding a 40-33 lead.
It didn't get much better in the third for the Kermodes, as they only managed to put up nine points in the quarter and fell behind 65-52 after three. However, in the fourth the team turned it on, led by guard Jose Colorado. The Ontario native exploded in the final frame, electrifying the crowd by hitting a number of big shots and getting Quest to within three.
"Jose played great," Shook said. "He's been a pleasant surprise for us."
Colorado played a solid all around game for the Kermodes, scoring 20 points, grabbing three rebounds and two assists. He was also a threat from downtown all night, hitting five of 11 from beyond the arc.
The Kermodes clawed to within three but Capilano hung on to win 68-62 and hand Quest their second loss in the exhibition schedule.
Shook pointed out that he was pleased with the play of guard Kyle Gibson, who scored five points, grabbed two rebounds and snagged a steal in limited time off the bench.
"He is a guy who physically struggled a bit last year," Shook said. "But he came out today, hit a big open shot and was a good energy guy for us off the bench."
Shook did take some positives out of the game but expects more from his team.
"It's a positive that we fought back but being competitive is not what we're looking for," he said. "We've been competitive for two years and that's not our goal anymore, our goal is to win games."
The team will next host Northwest Indian College on Friday (Oct. 29). The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off and will take place at the Quest University gym.
For more information on the team, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
