Quest University's flying freshman fed defeat to the visiting team on Friday night (Nov. 16). The young men's basketball team is still undefeated on their sparkling new court after thumping the Columbia Bible College Bearcats 84-75.It was just a matter of time before the team found its place amidst older, more experienced schools, said player Tyler Thorau.
"The first few games, since we're all freshmen, we didn't really know what to expect," he said. "But we've gotten used to the styles of play and we're getting better as we go."
Quest's recent development is impressive. The team is playing out a demonstration year in the British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association. Inaugural years can be painful as players adjust to a higher level but the string of recent victories sends a message to the league that Quest is ready to compete.
Coach Steve Anderson said the guys are still learning to play together at the college level, but they have already come a long way.
"I think they've done a good job figuring it out because they were able to make adjustments during the game. They also understand the speed of the game and the intensity you have to bring to the court every time."
At the end of the first quarter, Quest was almost doubled on the scoreboard 10-19.The Bearcats were doing a great job clogging lanes and putting pressure on Quest's ball movement around the perimeter. Quest's inability to adequately defend using man-to-man coverage made things worse at the other end, said Anderson.
"We've been having a difficult time matching up man-to-man with any team," he said. "Columbia Bible College is one team we thought we could because they're a little bit bigger than us but not a lot. But they run there stuff really well."
Quest shifted to a zone defence and began shutting the door and stealing the ball. Thorau had a number of quick steals that turned into offensive breaks. Quest went into the locker room at halftime with a remarkable 35-33 come-from-behind lead. Quest never surrendered the lead once throughout the second half. Players like Bryce Froberg even added a little pizzazz, charging the basket and splitting a pair of Bearcat defenders by wrapping the ball behind his back before sinking a lay-up. In the end it was raw, relentless speed that earned Quest the victory.
"[The Bearcats] started to get tired," said Anderson. "Not many teams play at the speed that we play, and come second half and fourth quarter the other teams start to feel it in their legs. They get winded and the things they could do earlier in the game, they're... slower."
Quest's undefeated record at home is at serious risk on Saturday (Nov. 24). when they play host to the Douglas College Royals - the top ranked team in Canada.In September, they beat the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) division one Boise State Broncos. Game time is 8 p.m. at the university's gymnasium, after the women's game (also against Douglas) at 6 p.m.
