Austin lost a close one to 7th-ranked Minneapolis Washburn Thursday night, dropping a 57-53 contest.
Plagued by foul trouble in the first half, the Packer boys hung tough against the Millers , trailing just 26-25 at halftime. The Pack got off to a strong start in the second half, building a small lead, before a Washburn run put them out front by double digits. A valiant rally brought the Pack to within two points in the last 30 seconds, but they couldn’t convert on their last possession and were forced to foul with two seconds left. The resulting free throws led to the final four-point margin.
The Austin Packers opened their 2010-11 season Saturday with a tough 75-64 home loss to Cedar Falls, Iowa. Cedar Falls made the state tournament last year, and have another strong team.
It was a game of runs: The Packers got off to an early 6-2 lead, but then the Tigers rallied to go ahead, before the Packers went on a tear to tie the game at 29. Unfortunately, the Tigers scored the remaining 14 points of the half to go into the locker room with a 43-29 advantage.
In the second half, the Tigers stretched the lead to as much as 19. The Packers put on a furious rally to cut the lead to 69-62 with 1:05 remaining, but fell short of making the comeback.
A few notes on this video, and what you’ll be seeing throughout the year.
You might wonder how the Packers ever lose. For the most part, I won’t be showing scores by the other team. This isn’t a balanced news site; it’s a booster site. An exception may be if an opposing player hits a game-winning buzzer beater. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
I generally won’t be showing free throws, because there isn’t much action involved. Saturday the Packers were something like 19 for 22 from the charity stripe, which is obviously excellent. The main exceptions to the “no free throws” rule are that I will include those of the “and 1” variety, in which an Austin boy is completing a three-point play after being fouled, and will show free throws made at the end of a close game.
For the the most part, I won’t be showing missed shots by the Packers; the exception is when a missed shot leads to a Packer rebound and score, so showing the missed shot provides context for the rest of the play.
I will typically show a few key defensive plays from each game, but generally won’t show defensive rebounds. I also won’t show Packer turnovers.
I will miss some scoring plays. I’m a dad and my first role is watching the game. Sometimes I get engrossed in the action and forget to follow it with the camera. Any field goal scores that don’t make the highlights are just because I missed them.
The Winter Sports Preview edition of the Austin Daily Herald is available online now. Here’s how the story on the Packer boys begins:
The Packers are hoping a strong mix of young talent with smart veterans can lead to a winning formula this upcoming boys basketball season.
“We’ve got a chance to be extremely competitive,” Austin coach Kris Fadness said. “Knock on wood, but with our young kids being as talented as they are and the growth I expect to see over the course of the year, come section time we could be a contender to go to the state tournament. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but I think we can contend and there’s not too many years where you can say that.”
Check out the full story, along with previews of other Austin and area sports teams. The article will be in print tomorrow.
Coach Fadness held the first team meeting for the 2010-11 season tonight, giving players and their parents an overview of what to expect in the next several months.
While captains’ practices have already started — led by seniors Max Coffey, Matt Duren, Jay Ettinger and Zach Fadness — the team will officially start workouts with coaches on Monday, Nov. 22. Meanwhile, some of the boys have been participating in a fall tune-up league in Bloomington, where they are undefeated through the first eight games.
Expect the 2010-11 edition of the Packers to feature an athletic, up-tempo style, taking advantage of depth and team speed.
You will be able to track the Pack all season on this site, so check back regularly for updates and Fast Break Club news, as well as game highlights and links to news coverage.
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