MIA Bounces Back with Win

What a difference a day makes. After enduring a 73-45 loss to Bonita Springs Friday night, the Rays bounced back with a stirring 63-55 win over Imagine School Saturday afternoon. Both games were played in the MIA gym.

“We played as a unit today,” said Jim Watt, Rays head coach, after the win over Imagine School. “Everyone contributed something. We focused on defense today, let the offense take care of itself. My main speech in the locker room was that we need to get back to playing defense. That’s what we’re made of. That’s what we’re all about. I felt like last night everyone was focusing on offense, and we were all out of sorts because of that.”

Against Bonita Springs, a Class 5A school, Class 2A MIA had trouble matching up. This year’s Rays team is not blessed with height.

“We’re small,” Watt said flatly. "We’re outweighed in most contests and we’re outsized in most contests. So we have to run the ball. We have to beat ‘em up and down the court. We have to beat ‘em with our legs. We talk about that all the time. We don’t have big men. We have to beat them with our speed.”

Bonita jumped out to a 26-11 first quarter lead and never let its foot off the gas, maintaining a lead in the 30-point range for much of the contest. The Rays perhaps had a bit of a hangover in the first half against Imagine School.

“It was a little tough,” Watt said of the quick turnaround from Friday’s lopsided loss. "We got off to a slow start. We were down at halftime.”

Down 36-32 at halftime against Imagine School, a conference foe, the Rays had a gut check.

"They hunkered down and decided they wanted to finish it out,” Watt said, "It was fantastic. It was a great effort by everybody. Everyone was scoring, everyone was contributing.”

The Rays outscored Imagine School 12-10 in the third quarter, then pulled away by outscoring the Sharks 19-9 in the finale.

Watt said it was a team win. He counts on his entire roster to give him minutes. With the breakneck speed his team plays with, a deep bench is essential.

"We have nine guys who can all contribute,” Watt said. "That helps out a lot. Especially with the zone press we run. It’s exhausting. We have a fresh set of legs coming in. We keep the pressure on. That’s going to be the way we do it all season.” 

Watt relies on a pair of seniors for leadership this season. But he knows he needs the entire roster to contribute.

"Shamus Coyle and John Boxma are our two captains,” Watt said. "Those two will probably lead the team defensively and offensively as well. Everybody’s contributing. And contributing like you can’t believe. All our guys are taught to share the basketball, get it to the next man down the court.”

Coyle led the Rays (2-1) against Imagine School (0-3), scoring 17 points, including three 3-pointers. John Lewis scored 13 and John Boxma 10. Seven Rays were in the scoring column.

Coyle, with 11, and Boxma, with 10, led the Rays against Bonita Springs (2-2).

The win over Imagine School improves MIA’s Paradise Coast Athletic Conference record to 2-0.

"This was a good test for us,” Watt said. "I think our shooting is going to get better as the kids get more comfortable. It’s going to get nothing but better. We beat ‘em with speed and quickness, and I love it."