Anthony Brock had an intense coolness in his voice while talking to assistant coach Joshua Faber about how Concord can improve as they walked toward the locker room.
The senior forward’s final home opener for Concord didn’t exactly go how he would have wanted it to, but after three full seasons of high school hoops, Brock knows that it’s only game one of a long season.
“We’ve only had a week of practice so we don’t want to worry much about how we’re going to shoot the ball, but it’s all about the toughness,” he said. “Pinkerton’s a tough group so with them first game it was tough.”
Even though Brock had a solid evening, the Tide’s inexperience was on display in their 64-32 loss to Pinkerton on Friday night.
Down by 18 at halftime, Concord needed to slow down the game and play at their speed while maintaining the persistent defensive effort had showed in the opening 16 minutes. Yes, even with an 18-point deficit, the Tide’s defense made the Astros five earn their buckets – especially from mid-range.
That difference, however, was the smallest margin for the rest of the evening after several 3-point shots from visiting Pinkerton snapped the net in a 22-point quarter. Led by 6-foot-7-inch sophomore guard Jackson Marshall (18 points), the Astros big man showed his prowess both in the paint and from deep, forcing the Tide to scramble. Concord only managed to score nine points in the third quarter.
“When things start breaking down a lot of time we try doing things ourselves instead of relying on our team,” coach Jimmy Thorpe said. “It’s hard when you’re losing like that and getting it thrown at you. It’s better if we can all be on the same page and work together, stay together.”
Concord struggled to find answer to a pressing Astros defense as it would take the ball up-court and immediately was surrounded by the defense. Turnovers mounted, breakaway points were given up, but the mindset of the Tide carried them through the end of the game and into a strong fourth quarter.
Brock, who finished with 13 points and three from beyond the arc, was able to get good shots off as freshman point guard Brett Tuttle facilitated the offense as efficiently as someone making their first varsity start could.
“He surprised me and he played very well off the drive,” Brock said. “But with open shots, we’ve got to knock them down.”
Tuttle finished with nine points in his varsity debut and showed promise with his shot selection and ability to dish the ball out to open players both on the perimeter and on the block.
After its Monday game at Keene, Concord will travel to Spaulding on Wednesday and to Alvirne on Friday. Wednesday’s and Friday’s games tip-off at 6:30 p.m.