Chargers Win Rematch Over Bobcats

On December 17, the Madison Bobcats’ Boys JV basketball played a rematch against the Corner Canyon Chargers, losing 67-53. The first time these two played each other was in a tournament at Utah, the Cats’ second game of the season. The original ended just like the sequel, with the Chargers on top.

“It was one of our more challenging games,” head coach Scott White said of the game. 

This game was a tough fight for the Bobcats as well. Corner Canyon controlled the entire first half, outscoring the Bobcats 43-22. The Charger’s big men dominated inside and seemed to grab every rebound. The defense of the Utah team prevented Madison from driving inside and scoring easily. The Bobcats’ Nash Humpherys started strong but couldn’t get through the Charger defense in the second quarter. 

Going into halftime, White knew that he would need to shut down the Chargers’ offense in the second half to win the game.

“Almost our entire speech at halftime was about defense and who we are as a team,” White said.

The second half was a hard-fought battle for both teams–with the Bobcats’ defense holding the Chargers to 24 points–but Madison couldn’t fight out of their deficit and ultimately lost the game 67-53. It was a case of too little too late for the Bobcats, but White is still proud of his team’s fight throughout the game, particularly the second half.

“Their guys have a little girth on us,” White said, “it was a tough matchup and I was proud of our boys and how hard they battled.”

One key to the game for Corner Canyon was their size advantage over the Bobcats, aiding the Charger’s dominance inside the paint. The average height for Corner’s roster–excluding the seniors–is 6’3½”. This includes the Charger center, Everest Romney, who stands at 6’8”. By contrast, the average height of the Madison JV team is 6’1” and the tallest player–Jace Taylor–is 4 inches shorter than Romney. Coach White said he had planned for this size difference, trying to keep Corner’s biggest players from getting rebounds.

Although the Bobcats faced a tough loss, White is still proud of how his team competed.

“The boys didn’t quit, they had a lot of grit,” White said. It was also a great learning experience for White and his team.

“That’s going to be one of the best teams we face all year, we need to learn from it, we need to get better from it, and get a streak of wins going.”