Hoops season in full swing

It has been a little while since I last updated tis, but with Thanksgiving, All-Thumb and our sports preview... let's just say it has been a crazy few weeks.

So I was at the USA-Ubly game and to truly appreciate the game you have to look beyond the score. Even a quick glance at the quarter scores and you would see that the Bearcats trailed by 19 at the half and lost 70-55. By those numbrs, it looked like more of the same in the second half and the Patriots cruised to an easy win.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Ubly came out in the second half and started pressing, which threw the Patriots for a loop. The added pressure caused USA to make mistakes and turn he ball over, which for the most part the Bearcats capatilized on.

In fact, at one point Ubly cut the lead to four points. In the end, the Patriots held on, made their shots and free throws at the end, while the Bearcats ran out of gas.

The true standout for USA was Brandon Bitzer, who has taken over point guard duties this season after Isaiah Jackon graduated (he is a redshirt freshman at SVSU). Bitzer had 23 points including 21 in the second half.

Coach Mark Gainforth complimented Bitzer, saying that he did exactly what a point guard should do. In the first half he tried to get his teammates involved in the offense, but when things got hairy, he took the game over.

I totally agree with that, as I was totally impressed with how Brandon performed last night. In fact at one point I turned to another area sports writer and made a comment along the lines of us seeing Bitzer become a man in front of our eyes.

Not that he hasn't played well in the past, but in this game he went to a whole new level.

Gainforth knows the team still has a lot of work to do, but was happy to win such a competitive game in the opener.

As for the Bearcats, after getting shalacked by Reese earier in the week and in the first half yesterday, the team turned up its intensity and showed what they are capable of.

In my opinion, if Ubly can be competitive against the team that I consider to be the best in the GTW, they will definitely be a contender in the East this season, which I feel will be even this season.