CONCORD – It’s a question Concord head coach Rob Darrell’s asked himself all year: What do we have to do to play a 32-minute game?

On Monday night against Portsmouth (9-1), the Tide (5-6) didn’t seem any closer to answering that question in a demoralizing 52-31 loss against one of the top teams in Division I.

Concord displayed a spirited effort for the first 16 minutes, holding its own against superior talent; even though the Tide trailed 28-14 at the break, the effort, energy and focus shined through.

But in the second half, the wheels fell off. The visiting Clippers outscored the Tide 18-4 in the third, fully blowing the game open.

The most the crowd had to cheer for was when someone had to dislodge the basketball from behind the backboard with a long pole after it became stuck with 32 seconds left in the third quarter. 

Other than that, it was a less-than-desirable outcome for a team with playoff aspirations.

“The effort was there. The energy was good. But our third quarters, we just seem to come out that way a lot,” Darrell said. “We come out, make a few mistakes, next thing you know, we’re down by 20-something, and it gets discouraging.”

Junior Whitney Vaillant was the only Concord player to score in double figures with 12 points. Only five Tide players scored at all; by contrast, Portsmouth featured eight players that tallied points in a much more balanced attack. 

Surely, the Clippers are a strong team, so in a one-game sample, there shouldn’t be too much to feel discouraged about. The concern from Darrell stems from the fact that this is part of a larger trend; even against less-talented opponents, that comprehensive effort has remained elusive. 

“We’ve done all kinds of different things: different drills, different bonding things, all that stuff,” Darrell said. “The energy’s been good. They’ve been positive, they’ve believed in themselves. Coming into the game, they believed they could win.”

So what does it take to play a full 32 minutes, and what can Concord do to turn the tide?

If there was an easy answer, Darrell probably would’ve figured it out by now. Concord has a challenging matchup on Tuesday with first-place Bishop Guertin (10-0), but after that game, he plans to start going through more film with his players.

They’ve analyzed film at points this year, but he’s hoping a deeper dive will help the team better understand what they’re trying to do.

“I think that’ll be a big help,” Darrell said. “We just keep trying to find new ways. We can keep working hard in practice, we can keep going over the stuff we need to go over, but in the game, it doesn’t always happen the way we want it to happen.”

The most agonizing part for Darrell is that he sees the potential in his players. He knows that what he wants from them is in there. They just haven’t quite put it all together yet.

“It’s a good group of girls,” he said. “We’re trying to find the right mix. In this division, it’s not easy. I feel with effort, a 32-minute game, we’ll make a run for the playoffs. It’s up to them.”

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