Cumberland searching for identity after loss
CUMBERLAND – Right now, the Cumberland High boys basketball team is facing an identity crisis.
A team that opened Division I play with four straight wins has fallen hard times, the latest loss coming Monday against Classical, 58-45. It’s the fourth defeat over a six-game span for the Clippers, who quickly fell behind to a Purple squad that lost to Cumberland by a dozen points last month.
“We had an identity at the beginning of the year. Now we’ve lost it,” said CHS head coach Gary Reedy. “Right now it’s about a young group going on the road and trying to figure it out.”
Reedy’s point is well taken as the Clippers have now dropped three straight away from the Wellness Center. The Purple (3-5 Division I) settled in quickly thanks to a full-court press that enabled the home team to sprint out to an 8-0 lead.
“We beat this team already so you know they’re going to come get you,” said Reedy. “The first time, they played mostly zone. This time, they pressed us.”
Boxing out was another glaring issue for the Clippers, who had a hard time keeping Amadou Kaba off the offensive glass. Second-chance opportunities enabled the Purple to enjoy a comfortable 34-21 lead at halftime.
Cumberland’s best stretch came during the opening minutes of the second half. Junior Dante Aviles-Santos had it going from deep with two treys and when Jackson Zancan made two shots at the free-throw line, the Clippers trailed only by six (36-30) with 13:51 left.
Classical continued to hurt Cumberland (5-4, Division I) on the backboards and continued to make the Clippers pay a steep price. The Purple netted nine straight second-chance points, then added four straight points off turnovers to grab a 49-38 lead with nine minutes left. Cumberland never closed to within single digits the rest of the way.
Aviles-Santos led Cumberland with 18 points on four 3-pointers while freshman Colin Morais added 10 points. Classical had three players finish with nine points.
The Clippers will look to right the ship when they visit La Salle tomorrow night. CUMBERLAND (45): Jacob Morey 1 0-0 3, Jackson Walsh 0 0-0 0, Dante Aviles-Santos 5 4-9 18, Shane Meerbott 0 0-0 0, Will Andrews 0 0-0 0, Ben Keeler 1 0-2 3, Mason Matos 0 0-0 0, Jackson Zancan 3 3-5 9, Cody Plumer 0 0-0 0, Cory Rodrigues 0 2-2 2, Brendan Raftery 0 0-0 0, Colin Morais 4 2-4 10, Seth Anderson 0 0-0 0, Tyler Provost 0 0-0 0, Shane Calabro 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 11-22 45.
CLASSICAL (58): Aniekan Okon 2 0-2 4, Amidou Kaba 4 1-3 9, Sean Duke 0 0-1 9, Ed Denson 4 0-1 9, Aniebiet Okon 1 1-2 3, Anthony Mendez 1 0-0 3, Henrey Lamar 3 0-0 8, Emany Cardoso 3 2-4 9, Khalil Screen 2 0-0 5. Totals: 24 5-18 58. Halftime: C 34-21.
Three-point field goals: Cumb 6 (Dante Aviles-Santos 4, Jacob Morey, Ben Keeler); Class 5 (Henrey Lamar 2, Sean Duke, Ed Denson, Khalil Screen).