If the first two weeks of the season are any indication, the Loudonville Christian School boys basketball team is going to be tough to beat.
The Eagles raised their record to 4-0 with Thursday’s dominating 76-26 Central Hudson Valley League victory over New Lebanon in Loudonville. Four players reached double figures in the scoring column, led by Mat Yamin’s 20 points.
Wins are nothing new to LCS. The Eagles have been at or near the top of the CHVL standings for the past several years.
What is new is the style of play. LCS coach Brian Johnson said he decided to push the tempo up this season.
“Probably (the most impressive thing is) our ability to transition from playing a slower style to playing a faster style this year,” said Johnson. “We’re trying to speed up the game.”
Mixing the new up-tempo pace with LCS’ tiny home court inside the Loudonville Community Church made life difficult for New Lebanon all night. The Tigers had trouble getting over the half-court line without turning the ball over.
“We use our court to our advantage,” said Johnson. “Our court being a little smaller than a regulation court, we can emphasize forcing turnovers.”
Yamin came up big at both ends of the floor for LCS. Not only did he lead a balanced attack with his 20 points, but he also forced several turnovers simply by reaching out to deflect or catch a New Lebanon pass.
“He likes to stay low, which is a good thing when playing defense,” said Johnson. “But, he’s also tall enough (at 6 feet) so he can defend bigger guards and reach out to get steals.”
Gabe Brown and James Hilton each contributed 12 points for LCS, and Ryan Phelps added 10 points. Zach Krajkowski paced New Lebanon with 13 points.
Johnson said he likes the balance his team has shown at the offensive end thus far — especially Yamin, Brown and Hilton.
“Having three guys who, on any given night, can be your leading scorer means teams don’t know who to focus on. So, they have to defend all three,” said Johnson.
LCS is hoping to ride its balanced attack and its up-tempo playing style to a CHVL title. The Eagles already have a leg up on their chief rival, Germantown, after they held on for a 54-51 win against the Clippers last Monday in Germantown. LCS led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before Germantown made a run at the Eagles.
“You try not to stress one game over another … but beating Germantown on the road in the first game of the (CHVL) season was huge. That might wind up deciding the league title,” said Johnson. “If there is a rival for us, I’d say Germantown is our biggest rival. They’ve been right up there with us the past couple of seasons.”
LCS returned to the road Monday for a CHVL game at Berlin. The Eagles visit Green Island Wednesday to face Heatly before playing their next home game Monday, Dec. 17, against Hawthorne Valley.