BOYS BASKETBALL: Chesapeake Defense Collapses Against South River

As time expired in the first half,  guard Aaron Terry sank a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc to tie things up against South River 29-29, but it would not be enough. The Cougars defense crumbled in the second half as Chesapeake fell to South River 53-49 Tuesday night in Edgewater.

The Cougars (5-9) took the lead for the first time just a few minutes into the second half, as the South River Seahawks struggled in transition against a fast Chesapeake press. But the lead was short-lived, as the Cougars struggled to get back on defense allowing the Seahawks to dominate in the paint.

“We just weren’t getting back on defense,” Terry said. “We were a little sluggish in the second half. We came out slow, so it affected us in the second half.”

The second half was a possession battle. With four minutes to go in the third quarter, and the game tied at 34, Chesapeake was called for a travel, handing the ball back over to the Seahawks who took advantage of the turnover by converting an easy layup to take the lead, 36-34.

On the next possession, Cougar center Brett Garver was called for a charge. South River took advantage with a jumper in the paint, as Chesapeake struggled to establish a presence inside.

“We have a lot of injuries,” Chesapeake coach Marlon Bailey said. “I only have four big guys and one is coming off of the flu, one injured his knee, and one who just wasn’t all the way there tonight. So we’re just stuck right now. We played terrible tonight, but we’ll bounce back, we always do.”

Terry had an impressive showing with 21 points, but it didn’t make up for the lack of pressure on defense throughout the game as Chesapeake dropped its third game in a row.

“We had a terrible practice yesterday and we played the way we practiced,” Bailey said. “It is what it is. We didn’t play the way we should have played.”

The Cougars are scheduled to travel Friday to Glen Burnie to try snap out of their slump. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.