The Seaholm basketball team made another step in the right direction, downing cross-town rival Groves 63-49 in front of an exuberant crowd at Seaholm on Wendesday night.
Beating Groves is not a feeling that Seaholm is used to, holding a 1-5 head to head record over the last four years.
“There’s definitely extra motivation to play Groves,” said senior Chris Mackenzie. “I mean, it’s a rivalry game, so we were pumped for it.”
And what’s a rivalry game without the spirit of competition?
Raphael Godett wasn’t lacking in this department, angrily shoving Mackenzie in the second quarter, leading to a technical foul.
“Yea, I had stolen the ball from him a couple of times, so he was getting frustrated,” said Mackenzie. “When I was guarding him I gave him a little push, so he shoved me and got T’d up, so that was good.”
After the play, Godett left the game for several minutes in which the maples went on a quick 10-2 run.
Senior Ben Lewis enjoyed his first game at full health after a nagging back injury.
“Yea, It feels good to not be injured,” said Lewis. “I don’t think I played that well, but it was good game for our team.”
The Maples are 4-1 overall, and a perfect 4-0 in conference play.
Coming off a sub-par 9-12 record last season, it’s hard to complain about the way this season has started off.
Having avenged losses from last year by defeating Farmington, Royal Oak, Groves, and Andover, the Maples next two games involve teams they beat last year.
With upcoming road games against Ferndale and Cranbrook, you’d better believe these teams are going to want some payback on their home court, so mental toughness will be essential.
Is Seaholm ready to battle some adversity in winning some tough road games?
I feel that the answer is yes, but let’s see what happens.
