Basketball team starts season, 5-0

The North Lake Blazer basketball team has gotten off to 5-0 start, the best start in school history.

On Nov. 8, the Blazers won in their home opener to the 2005-2006 campaign. They defeated Shorter College, 93-68, in a game that the Blazers controlled for all four quarters. Sophomore Chris Agwumaro led the way for the Blazers, scoring 24 points on 10 for 17 shooting from the field.

The play of sophomore Eric Villarreal was tough to go unnoticed. The point guard may have only scored six points, yet his ability to give good passes to teammates and to disrupt the Shorter College offense was important to the North Lake attack. He tallied seven assists during the course of the game. His four steals not only halted the Shorter College attack, but led to fast break opportunities for the Blazers.

North Lake used their home court advantage in the early going, quickly taking a 10-point lead during the early stages of the first half. North Lake had a 23-13 advantage with 9:34 remaining in the first half. The North Lake fans were very noticeable during the first half for North Lake. “Kids play to the fans’ enthusiasm,” said Head Coach Tim McGraw. “We’re really trying to increase our crowds. There has been progress. I think that if we get people to come one time, they’ll be hooked.”

The Blazers had a 47-32 advantage at half time. North Lake had been playing intelligent basketball throughout the first half, a trend that lasted for the duration of the game.

The second half seemed like a relative cakewalk for the North Lake Blazers. They outscored Shorter College, 46-26. The Blazers picked up the tempo as well in the second half, starting fast breaks down the court. North Lake played above the rim, and dazzled the home court crowd with strong slam dunks and skillful lay-ups. When the final score of 93-68 still on North Lake scoreboard, many details became clear.

The Blazers out-rebounded Short College by a gargantuan margin of 37-21. This included 14 offensive rebounds for the Blazers. North Lake also executed from the free throw line, hitting 13 of 15 attempts.

Coach Tim McGraw was pleased with the overall performance of the Blazers. “I thought we played pretty well. Our guys were pretty excited to get to play a home game — it was good to have a home game. We played good defense,” said McGraw.