Hunting down the Bear
-
- January
- 30
Go ahead, if you’d like, jump all over Briarcliff for losing tonight.
Most of you already have and you’re entitled to do so. The unbeatable Bears were beaten at home by Lincoln Hall in the biggest upset of the season. The reigning Class B champs blew a 12 point lead and lost, 70-64, to a United team that could have, and probably should have, beaten them three weeks ago.
Section 1 was supposed to have its champions penciled in since December with Mount Vernon and Peekskill destined for Glens Falls, and with Briarcliff a heavy favorite to make the trip with them.
Hold the buses. Class B just got interesting.
Lincoln Hall did it by having its key players avoiding foul trouble, rebounding and defending about as well as it probably could, and simply outhustling and outplaying a Briarcliff team that looked like it was just waiting for the switch to be flipped and would find a way to win. It never happened.
With the entire Pleasantville team there watching (and rooting), Lincoln Hall exposed a few things about this Briarcliff team that we didn’t really know. The United proved they can rebound with the Bears. They proved they run on them. They proved they could force turnovers, draws fouls and rip through.
They proved that, under the ideal circumstances, Briarcliff can be beat.
Sir Aaron Taylor had 18 points and 19 rebounds and Darren Brown added 16 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands seven times over a six-minute span from the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, before Lincoln Hall scored 13 of the games 18 points.
I detail the game pretty extensively in my podcast tonight. I go over why Briarcliff lost the game, the X-factor for Lincoln Hall, and why Lincoln Hall is a bad matchup for Briarcliff — and a team the Bears should fear playing in the postseason.
View video highlights of the game here. You can listen to my podcast below. I was pretty tough on the Bears. But when expectations are as high as they are with team, you have to expect that. I called out their character and effort. As I note, last year’s team wins this game:
If you’d like, my interview with Lincoln Hall coach Henry Taylor after the game was interesting. Taylor was great in the interview, crediting a scrimmage on Saturday against Peekskill for the team’s win over Briarcliff. You can listen here:
What struck me most about Lincoln Hall after this game was the players and coaches attitude. When Lincoln Hall shocked Kennedy two years ago, becoming the first Class B team in Section 1 to beat it in three years, the United players talked about two things:
1. Winning the section.
2. Going to Glens Falls
They were beaten in the first round of sectionals. As I discuss in the podcast, this team is far more level-headed and have better perspective. There wasn’t the crazy celebration after this win as there was two years ago. I think the teams two years ago was too cognizant of Kennedy and thought beating them would guarantee their place in the County Center. This team doesn’t look at Briarcliff any differently from any other team.
Some interesting stats from the game:
— Joe Lombardi had three fouls in the game. All three were offensive.
— Lincoln Hall outrebounded Briarcliff 20-14 in the second half
— Lincoln Hall only attempted six free throws in the game, five of which were in the final 30 seconds.
— Four players scored in double figures for Lincoln Hall.
— Briarcliff only got four points from its bench.
— Briarcliff had only 27 second-half points. It had 52 in the second half on Monday versus Byram Hills.
— Kyle Beechum had 23 points and 11 rebounds. He’s played so well of late.
— Garth Muratori had all nine of his points in the first quarter for Briarcliff.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 8:45 pm by Kevin Devaney Jr..
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. | | | 
iTunes
At least Big Bad Bear shows some humility and logic & may help change peoples feelings about the BC BB team.
no one guarenteed a 3-0 week…odne umbass said briarcliff would beat p ville by 30..everyone can say how Lincoln Hall is the new Favorite, everyone can say that North Salem is the favorite. This loss was i dont wanna say a good thing, but it almost is a good kick in the butt. Its good to humble this team a bit. When it comes playoff time, you will see the defending section champs fight for back to back gold balls. You can talk now, but lets talk playoff time. See you at the county center.
United Fan, BigBadBear has always added some class to to blog. It’s not always high class but he tries.
United Fan:
thank you, but watch out for us at the County Center!
Dr E:
thank you (I think)...I will still let you sit near us on Friday…I do believe half of Pleasantville was at our game yesterday, where were you?
all u bear fans think ur team is good but where is your ring? come talk to kennedy when you win a ring, and you kno we beat you guys the refs messed that game up horriably
Dr E
55 posts and counting, 55 more posts than all of the “other” games combined. There were other games right?
I guess Briarcliff is truly The Blog Capitol, Kevin was right! Sounds like someone woke the “Sleeping Bear” . It will be interesting how they respond. I was at the game and I also voted in the poll a few weeks ago. “which team is likely to beat Briarcliff for the section 1 title?”
My Vote: Only Briarcliff can beat Briarcliff!!! and I’m sticking to it!
I think Briarcliff should stop worrying about defending themselves/provoking others on these blogs and just worry about proving themselves on the court. If they really want all the “Briarcliff Haters” to stop all this talk, then the only way to shut people up is plain and simple-Play (and maybe show a little class while they’re at it). Goodluck
55 posts, the blog capital, Section favorites, team of the century, yet you people can’t get ME out of your heads. Everybody wants a shot at the Doctor.
Sleeping bears or a bear skin rug?
Dr E
Either Bear skin or Panther skin….
I think if people stop making big deals out of a team losing then winning wont be so Un Bear able !
Kevin, after hearing about the game and listening to the audio I can’t help but to think that Albertus is a similar team to Lincoln Hall. They have good rebounders, they push the ball up the court and are constantly running and creating fast breaks.
Also, Albertus’ bench goes deep and they have a different starting 5 each game. I think that they can seriously beat Briarcliff by using their speed and the depth of thier bench to wear the Bears down, because as you said Briarcliff only has about 7 people who “play”. The Falcons have kids like Leroy who can get rebounds and play good D on that Becchum kid.
Tell me what you think.. I’m sure Falcon Alum would agree with me.
jfk kids, stop posting about how good you used to be, the only reason you guys won any games was because tyrell and dan o’connel were two of the best players in the state, now you have ed o’connel, not nearly as good as dan and you havent made the county center since they left, so stop talking
Kevin, after hearing about the game and listening to the audio I can’t help but to think that Haldane is a similar team to Lincoln Hall. They have good rebounders, they push the ball up the court and are constantly running and creating fast breaks.
Also, Haldane’s bench goes deep and they have a different starting 5 each game. I think that they can seriously beat Briarcliff by using their speed and the depth of thier bench to wear the Bears down, because as you said Briarcliff only has about 7 people who “playâ€. The Blue Devils have kids like Nastasi who can get rebounds and play good D on that Becchum kid.
Tell me what you think.. I’m sure All the other knuckle heads who think their team now has a chance would agree with me. Since Briarcliff is on this streak of losing one game to Class B teams in three years I figure heck if everyone else can now beat them so can we, and I’m sure Put Valley would agrree!
ahhaha i think its so funny that since briarcliff los thtis one game teams like haldane and all tehse other teams think they can beat briarclif…comon get real Haldane would lose by 1000 try playin teams like stepinac iona prep JD hayes comon getr real none of the other class B teams wud be nearly close
are u serious haldane is 6-12 lmao
Kevin, after hearing about the game and listening to the audio I can’t help but to think that Dover is a similar team to Lincoln Hall. They have good rebounders, they push the ball up the court and are constantly running and creating fast breaks.
Also, Dovers bench goes deep and they have a different starting 5 each game. I think that they can seriously beat Briarcliff by using their speed and the depth of thier bench to wear the Bears down, because as you said Briarcliff only has about 7 people who “playâ€. The Dragons have kids who can get rebounds and play good D on that Becchum kid.
Since Briarcliff is on this streak of losing one game to Class B teams in three years I figure heck if everyone else can now beat them so can we, and I’m sure Carmel would agrree!
its a joke guys lol…but yea…JFK Was AMAZING when they had Dan Gumb Pete Courtney Tyrell and OC…but there long and gone…so goodbye jfk! u wont win anything again!
ok say what you want but kennedy will be at the county center this year and when it happens dont say i didnt tell you so
Isn’t Lincoln Hall one of those pseudo prisons like Childrens Village?
All of you people are absolute idiots. The bears are not going to lose again. Lincoln Hall was incredibly lucky. The refs were miserable. Just be careful pitiful Panthers. The game won’t be close. And JFK I hope we can play again cause it would be scary how bad we would kick your ass.
Wow, Oh once a bear always a bear, where oh where did this stupid bear come from, out of the forest behind the Briarcliff Gym, or better yet the football field ( 28-0 ) All of Section one is now hunting for the bears and their beloved bear fans. Beware Bears, the bear hunters will be there.
Once A Bear Always A Bear: the refs were miserable is that so… if anything the excuses are weighing you down haha cause the refs were terrible when we played you too
It’s 3 o’clock do you know where your bearskin rug is?
The Kennedy team has gelled! Eddie O’C is the glue. If the ref’s had called the offensive fouls against Briarcliff, there is no way we would have lost that game. Happy for Briarcliff and Lincoln Hall. Good games coming our way….
Dr E
Oh Dr E…Oh Dr.. How’s that Panther skin rug looking? A little “nappy” I would say…Dont worry those muddy Bear paw prints will come out in the wash. After a few months or years…lol anyway maybe you can make it into a set of slippers with what left of it!