By Austen Burks, Sports Editor.
Control the tempo, control the game, win the game. That’s what the Delta pioneers accomplished in the home opener for the men’s basketball season against the Rochester JV Warriors (92-58), on Nov. 5
The Pioneers came out of the gate shooting, and shooting well. Delta guard Benjamin Batts drains a 3-pointer on the first possession. Batts shooting didn’t slow down as he ended with the game high of 19 points. “The guys shoot with a lot of confidence,” says Coach Kyle Blackbourn. “That’s a strong aspect of their game and I feel the hot shooting will continue throughout the season.”
The Pioneers ferocity on both sides of the ball kept the charge moving. Great shooting on offense transitioned into stifling defense, as they played tight man-to-man coverage, barely leaving room for the Rochester players to breath, forcing the Warriors to use the whole twenty-four second shot clock on multiple possessions, resulting in missed contested shots.
“Our intensity does a lot for us in our games,” says Blackbourn. “Our bench players bring the same intense play as the players they replaced, which allows us to remain in control of the tempo.”
Lazy passes from Rochester and defensive rebounds for Delta mounted as the Pioneers began to build their lead throughout the first half. “We played great defense against Rochester,” says Blackbourn. “We were able to get after loose balls, [and] play with a few different presses which caused a number of turnovers.”
Starters Benjamin Batts, Markel Bradshaw, Chris Chzan, Julian Henderson, and Dan Stanbeck collected 52 points. Along with the outstanding performance by the starters the bench players contributed 40 points to the score led by Justin Person with 10 points. The starters fell into foul trouble before the half, but stellar play by the bench expanded the 14-point lead at the beginning of the second half to 24 points with a 10-0 run.
“From the first game up to this point we’ve improved on shot selection,” says Blackbourn. “Instead of taking a contested shots the team has learned to drive and penetrate the ball through the lane which creates an opportunity for a better shot or that a teammate will be open.”
On Nov. 8 the pioneers faced off against Mid Michigan Community College with an 87-77 victory. The next game for the men’s basketball team is Nov 18. at Owens Community College. The next home game is taking place on Dec. 7 against Columbus State Community College at 3 p.m.
