MONTGOMERY
Springbrook Is Doing It With Defense
Thursday, January 25, 2007; Page E09
As Springbrook's third coach in as many seasons, Oliver Riggs already had it tough. He didn't make it any easier on his players by telling them the route to a third straight region title would be through a complex defense that provided little personal glory.
It took a while for the 17th-ranked Blue Devils to buy into it, but now they are the stingiest team in Montgomery County -- and also might be the best. Springbrook (12-2, 6-2 Montgomery 4A East) is allowing a county-low 33.8 points per game.
|
VIDEO | Shadow of Death on Senior Night
|
The Blue Devils run a man-to-man, full-court pressure defense with players constantly rotating, forcing opponents to use up to half the 35-second shot clock just getting the ball into the front court.
"It wasn't a hard sell," Riggs said, "but the hardest part was making sure they do it right. They would freelance and get out of what we were trying to do. I told them, 'If you do it right, the steals will be there and you'll get the fast breaks.' "
The Blue Devils have held five opponents to less than 30 points and only four have reached 40, including Whitman (11-3, 7-1), which scored 52, the most against Springbrook this season, in an 11-point win on Dec. 21. The Vikings scored 21 fourth-quarter points as the Blue Devils' defense broke down from fatigue.
The teams meet again tomorrow at Whitman.
-- Alan Goldenbach
