Malden Boys Hoops Continues to Struggle

Turnovers. They’re a sure sign of how a team is playing in nearly every sport. Whether it be football, basketball or hockey, the teams that turns it over the most, usually tends to lose. 

That’s been the case this season for the Malden High boys basketball team, who turned the ball over more than 15 times on Monday night in a, 74-38, loss to Winthrop on the road. 

The loss dropped the Golden Tornadoes to 3-6 overall and extended their losing streak to four games. 

"We continue to struggle,” said head coach Don Nally. “We had a tough time putting the ball in the basket and it just seems like right now the only consistent offensive player we have is Tedy (Francois).”

Francois paced the Malden offense with 13 points and was the only player to score more than five points for the Golden Tornadoes. 

Malden got off to a slow start on Monday night, and was held to just two points for the beginning of the first quarter, but the offense began to show signs of life after trailing 26-10 going into the second frame. Malden was able to close that gap and pull to with in eight points, but the Vikings (5-3) went on an 8-0 run and went into halftime time up 39-19. 

“We had a tough manning against them, we had a tough time zoning against them and we had a tough time trapping them,” said Nally. “We pretty much had a tough time with everything we tried to do.”

The second half saw the Golden Tornadoes pick up the pace slightly on offense as Malden was able to put up 15 points in the third quarter. Unfortunately for Malden, the Vikings put 26 on the board, and then held Malden to just four points in the fourth quarter as Nally pulled most of his starters. 

“Tonight I was disappointed because we got killed on the boards," said Nally. "They had that one big football player, but we have a couple of football players too. We have some size but it was just totally effort tonight. The effort, especially on the defensive end, was not there.”

If there’s one bright spot to Malden’s current losing streak, it’s that Nally has been able to play some of his younger players with the hopes of catching a glimpse of the future. 

“We are young,” said Nally. “We’re inexperienced. We don’t have a lot of battle tested kids. Obviously Ryan (Donovan) and Tedy from last year’s team and Vernon (Sainvil) a little bit, but that’s why I’m trying to play a lot of the sophomores, to get them battle tested for the future.”

So far players like junior guard Hiago DeSena, junior forward Witchie Exhilhomme and sophomore guard Rodney Morton have shown some promise in their limited playing time this season, but the Malden offense needs to rally around veterans Francois and Donovan if the Golden Tornadoes want to turn their season around in 2011. 

Up next for Malden is a big GBL showdown with Medford (3-5) on Friday at 7 p.m. at home. Both teams are looking for their first league win of the season, so Friday’s game could prove to be a pivotal point for both the Mustangs and the Golden Tornadoes.

“We gotta keep working,” said Nally. “We have our hands full. No game is a gimme. We gotta want it a little more and we gotta care a little bit more. Right now it’s a test to our commitment.” 

“You have to pick out the positive things,” added Nally. “We are young and we still have plenty of games to go so we can turn it around. We just have to get out there a little more and practice and keep working. That’s all we can do.”