Despite another tough loss on Tuesday afternoon, Ted Sochaski is convinced his Bucs (5-11) are close to finding the right formula. His team is close, he says, to breaking through.
“I think our games are competitive,” the Belleville boys basketball coach said. “When people come to games they can see a difference. I think we are exciting to watch. I’m very happy with the team. There aren’t too many games this year we’re I’d say we played poorly.”
On one hand, Sochaski says his team has clearly improved since a year ago. He points to the team’s five wins and also to a handful of narrow defeats. On the other hand, those narrow losses could have easily been wins in the coach’s mind – and that can be frustrating for both him and his players.
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“We beat ourselves,” Sochaski said after Tuesday’s 73-65 loss to Newark Academy in Belleville. “More than half of our losses, we beat ourselves.”
The Bucs have continued to struggle with turnovers of late. Those turnovers also often seem to come at the most inopportune times – for example at the end of a quarter, when a turnover can result in a quick 4-point or even 5-point swing and a drastic shift in momentum.
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“It’s not taking care of the ball,” explained Sochaski. “It seems like I’ve been saying that all year. We have it. It’s just them needing to understand to take care of the ball during certain times and opportunities during the game.”
The Bucs led 22-16 after the first quarter and 31-28 at halftime on Tuesday. But Newark Academy (9-8) stormed back as junior point guard Zaire Williams scored 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half.
Kamal Miller scored 23 points, including 11 in the first quarter, for Belleville. Julian Rodriguez added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Belleville. Luigi Zanoria had 11 points, while Shariff Dixon finished with 10 points. Tommy Rosario had six points and 14 rebounds. The Bucs sank 7-of-14 3-point attempts.
Newark Academy swept the season series with Belleville (the Minutemen rallied for an overtime win on Jan. 6 in Livingston).
Belleville was coming off a 53-52 victory over Caldwell on Feb. 3. Though the team started off slowly, strong play from their guards helped guide the Bucs to the victory over the Chiefs. Keith Everett and Miller scored 13 points apiece, while Dixon added 12 points. The Bus sank 8-of-17 3-pointers in the game.
Belleville is scheduled to visit Millburn on Thursday at 4 p.m. The team’s next home game is Feb. 14 against Central.
