W [66-36] vs Woodhall

In every sport, at every level, teams develop a unique character as the season progresses. No matter how many years teammates may have played together, every season ends up different and every group grows into its own way of operating. That character can change and develop as players improve or the group coheres but there's always something distinct about each team.

For better or for worse, after three games a big part of the character of the 2025 TMS Varsity Basketball team is that of a "second half team." In both of their first two outings the Lions started slow and failed to catch up before the final buzzer. And although the result was different tonight, that character remained.

Master's welcomed the visiting Woodhall for an early 3:30pm tip off. After their previous two slow starts the crowd hoped that the team would come out of the gate storming. The boys did well to open up an early 14-6 lead, getting everyone involved in the early minutes led by Dom Bergantino's two made three pointers. But the Lions allowed the visitors to find their footing and as the first half waned the lead narrowed. The teams entered the break separated by only three points, with the visitors trailing 23-20.

"Another slow start," commented Coach Peters after the game. "We had a lot of opportunities at the rim in the first but the shots just weren't falling and our defense needed to improve."

A few quick buckets from Woodhall in the early minutes of the second half saw the worrying trend continue, with the visitors taking their first lead of the game 28-27 off a corner three two minutes in. But then Zech Duval nabbed a bucket on the Lions' next posession, putting back an offensive rebound to open up a blistering 23-0 Masters run which would last nearly 7 minutes and blow the game wide open. The Lions big man would finish with 20 second half points and a gigantic 24/13 double double.

Masters eventually claimed their first victory with a final score of 66-36.

"Our defense was much better in the second half and we were able to wear them down " said Coach Peters. "Our front line of Zech and Sam were unstoppable." Sam Amponsah-Minkah added his own well rounded 10/10/5 double-double with more than half his rebounds and nearly all of his assists coming in the second half.

Dom Bergantino had a similar perspective. After his own bounce back game offensively the Lions' guard had this to say: "The boys really got it together in the second half. We came out with confidence and intensity and played well." Bergantino noted Masters' focus on putting back offensive rebounds as a big part of the swing in game. 

Ball movement was key in the second half as well, with senior guard Hayden Peters (2/12/9) dishing out a phenomenal 7 assists in the period.

Yet it was the play of sophomore wing Will Frey (7 PTS | 6 REB) that stood out to the coaches. "Obviously Zech had an amazing game," remarked Coach Seignon. "But it was really Will that held us together. He was an instant spark plug for the team. He did it all: defend, rebound, scored the ball, and rallied our team back together." Frey earns Player of the Game honors for his first time this season.

Right now this is a second half team. But in these second halves the Lions are showing just what quality of basketball they are capable of. When the ball is moving, the defense is locked in, and they're crashing the boards this is an impressive group. Masters now looks toward their next outing - 5pm Friday @ Avon Old Farms - where they'll hope to build on today's momentum against a tough opponent.

Congrats on the win boys!