Flames’ defense leads to victory

They are now 3-2 overall.

Head coach Larry Berkman said he was happy to get the victory, noting his athletes played well enough to get the win.

“It was Jekyll and Hyde,” he said with a chuckle. “There were moments of great play and oohing and ahhing. And moments of ugly.”

Following the game, he asked his players to evaluate themselves.

“One of the guys said it was not their finest hour,” he said. 

Another said it was “awfully” wonderful to win, the coach said, emphasizing the word awfully.

“You kind of laugh about it a little bit,” Berkman said. 

Defensively, the Flames forced Sendero into making mistakes, he said. But because they rushed the pace, they also missed several layups. They were also seven of 18 from the free-throw line.

Brett Piatek led the way with 14 points, while Chase Penner scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Adrian Byrd added 10 points. 

Berkman said he liked the balanced scoring.

“They were reasonably spread out,” he said. “We were in foul trouble and able to pull through.”

William Diamond had eight steals. 

What makes the Flames dangerous is their quickness, Berkman said.

“Quickness makes up for a lot,” he said. “Our quickness has kept us in games.”

At times, players are running so fast, the pass is too short to reach them, he said. 

Still, he sees his players going through their reads and are only one step away from finishing a play. And that’s what excites the coach.

“The body hasn’t quite caught up with the mind,” he said. “They’re trying to do it. They’re grasping what we want to do. It’s just not coming together.”

The Flames will play in the Cornerstone Tournament at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.