Rebounding The Difference In York’s Win Over Tigers

The York Institute Dragons used some timely rebounds to take a 67-59 victory over the DeKalb County Tigers.

After falling behind 18-11, DeKalb battled back to tie the game up at 31 by halftime. After that, the lack of rebounding on the defensive boards is what really hurt the Tigers, according to Head Coach John Sanders.

“We gave up way too many offensive rebounds,” Sanders said. “We just didn’t rebound well enough to win tonight.”

Sanders praised how his team guarded one of York’s best players, Roger Meadows, as he only put up 10 points for the Dragons. It was just the players after him that hurt the Tigers.

“Noah Smith and Riley Cooper each had 19, and Nicholas Smith had 18,” Sanders said. “We knew we had a big test ahead of us. York was a really good team last year, and they had some key components of that team coming back, so we knew it was going to be tough.”

With his team being as young as it is, Sanders isn’t surprised with where they currently stand. One thing he has been able to give consistent praise to, he says, is their effort.

“We’re kind of where I thought we would be,” Sanders said. “Our effort has been consistently good. They’re a pretty unselfish team, and they share the ball really well. We’ve just got to be able to finish shots around the rim…we’ve got to rebound and defend a little better.”

DeKalb’s next game will take place on Dec. 10 against Livingston Academy, and York will take on Cannon County on the same day.