Bristol Warriors hoping to pick up the scoring punch
There is a magic number when it comes to the fortunes of the Bristol boys basketball team so far this season.
That digit is 40, and it has largely made the difference in the win-loss column. When the Warriors’ offense cracks that plateau, the team is almost flawless, whereas when they fail to do so, success has never followed.
It remains to be seen if that trend will continue, but if it does, the potential is there for Bristol to play a big factor in the District I Class AA playoff chase and tournament as the regular season enters its final two weeks.
“The way we play defense, we definitely put ourselves in a position to win every game,” point guard and team captain Coughlin said.
The Warriors currently stand at 9-6 overall, a mark that includes a 4-4 record in the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) Independence Division.
The bigger tale, though, is in the numbers, as Bristol is 0-5 when it is unable to score 40 points in a game. The Warriors’ four setbacks in league play have all been contests where lack of scoring has haunted them, as they hit for 34 and 30 points against Church Farm, 36 against Devon Prep and just 27 against Holy Ghost Prep.
Bristol wound up losing those four games by a combined 28 points, including a six-point defeat at the hands of Devon and a two-point, 32-30 heartbreaker at home to Church Farm on Jan. 18.
“We’re getting a lot of
Sean shots up,” Coughlin, a senior, said, while adding that at times, his team is attempting too many 3-point shots. “It’s just a matter of making them.”
We’re streaky,” he continued. “When we get into a groove, we’ll hit them.”
The lone loss the Warriors have suffered when scoring over 40 points was at the hands of sineland at a tournament in Wildwood over Christmas break, and even that was by only five points. Otherwise, teams have generally endured long nights when the Warriors’ offense has clicked, as their average margin of victory has been 12 points in nine games. Those impressive showings feature 23- and 22-point triumphs over Morrisville and George School, respectively, as well as a 10-point decision over New Hope- Solebury and a 23-point win over MaST Charter.
The driving force of Bristol’s success has been the defense, which has held its opponents to an average of 39.6 points per game through Jan. 27. In addition to the quickness of their guards, a solid front-court led by junior forwards Trevor Leone, Ryan Rigby and Ryan Weinkopff has helped protect the paint, rebound and make scoring difficult for the opposition.
“Our defense has been solid all season,” said Rigby, a 6-0 power forward. “We know our defense is going to be there at all times. We just need our offense to come through more on a consistent basis and find a little bit more of a natural groove.”
Despite the
offensive
struggles, there have been some standout performances on the offensive end of the court. Junior Chad Palmer has stepped up at point guard, while senior Moe Towner has been a reliable scorer at two-guard and classmates Mike Petrino and JaJuan Rankins, as well as junior Aidan Coughlin, add depth.
Rigby led the way in the Warriors’ last contest, as he poured 17 points into the basket against Lower Moreland Jan. 22. The game went to overtime, where Leone scored five points as part of a 13-rebound effort to help Bristol survive, 51-43.
Rigby also matched Coughlin with 11 points against Church Farm four days earlier, a game which the Warriors led going into the fourth quarter. But, it ended in defeat to put Bristol on a three games-out-offour skid, one which ended against Lower Moreland.
Prior to that, only a 40-31 victory at Doane Academy, in which Palmer scored nine and Weinkopff and Rigby eight apiece, separated Bristol from a potentially damaging skid. To add to that, the chances to pick up another league win over New Hope-Solebury and a non-league tilt with DuBois Charter were halted due to foul weather Jan. 25 and 26. Make-up dates have not been announced.
“All single-digit losses, all down to the wire. We just couldn’t pull it off at the end,” Rigby said about losing to Devon, Holy Ghost and Church Farm. “We obviously wanted to get on a winning streak and it’s [game cancellations] frus- trating for all of us.”
Even so, the Warriors took the DuBois time slot as an opportunity to practice, scrimmage and build for a home stretch that will feature at least five games. It begins Jan. 29 at MaST Charter and ends Feb. 8 at Plumstead Christian, both of which are contests the Warriors should have success in.
In between, though, are rematches with Devon and Holy Ghost, as well as a visit from Friends Select and possibly rescheduled dates with New Hope-Solebury and DuBois. It all adds up to an opportunity to end on a very strong note and with a shot to build momentum going in to the postseason in which Bristol hopes to play a part.