Bulldogs (Churchill) vs Takoma Academy

Recap

The seasoned Bulldogs (Churchill) faced off against Takoma Academy and it was a hard-fought game until the second half when the Bulldogs pulled away for the win, 61-44.

The first half was looking great for Takoma Academy, they beat doubters and stayed close with the Bulldogs even gaining a lead for a short while. On both sides of the ball, they stayed scrappy and took what the defense gave them, they weren’t the prettiest shots but they put points on the board. That scrappiness didn’t evaporate of defense either they fought for every rebound, despite being heavily outsized, and had players actively getting their hand on the ball like Keishawn Harper who recorded 3 steals. 

The first half was slow for the Bulldogs they couldn’t buy a bucket going 10-33 as a team and went 0-13 from three. They were trying to force their hand and it ended up backfiring putting them in a chess match against a team who shouldn’t have dealt them so much trouble. They stayed aggressive on defense but great offense beats good defense, and Takoma Academy had great offense hitting heavily contested shots every other possession. Their pure talent kept them in the game and they were able to find themselves in the second half while Takoma did the complete opposite.

The Bulldogs came together in the second half hitting 48% percent of their shots and going an impressive 8-9 from the free throw line. They needed a player to lead the charge and ignite their team spirit, and that player was Steve Ngindue. Ngindue is a SF in the class of 2024, and in this game, he dropped a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds pushing his team to victory. The experience of the Bulldogs, and their senior players, really shined in the second half and they were able to make Takoma play how they wanted instead of vice versa. This became too much for Takoma and it was the catalyst for their second-half crumble.

Takoma Academy fell apart losing the tenacity they had in the first and playing passively against the revamped Bulldogs. Their shooting percentage dropped to 29% and the players who were there in the first half seemed to disappear and leave their team. One positive was their three points shooting going 5-11 compared to their first-half stat which was 1-12. The shots that they were hitting in the first became a liability and their offense shut down and cracked under the Bulldog defense. This Takoma team seems to be too inexperienced at least for the time being and their lack of size becomes a problem that is exploited in the long run. At the end of the day, Takoma isn’t there yet but if they are able to find another big then the rematch between these two will be fun to watch.

Churchill sneaks this one away and moves on to the next opponent but Takoma walks away with newfound experience and the experience needed to be a successful team in the coming winter.