ALLENTOWN: Bascara’s late shot lifts Redbirds

Boys hoops snaps losing skid

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Dan Bascara knew the time and the score, and when the ball came to him alone in the left corner, he knew what to do.
   ”I was open,” said the Allentown High School sophomore. “I didn’t think about anything. I just shot the ball.”
   Bascara’s three-pointer with 30 seconds snapped the final tie in the Redbirds’ 61-58 win over Jackson Liberty on Monday. More than that, it snapped their seven-game losing streak.
   ”It felt so relieving,” Bascara said. “It was a long stretch, and getting a win felt good.”
   The Redbirds were hoping the narrow win would propel them into more success in a busy week that included Robbinsville on Tuesday and Hightstown today.
   ”Our team, we struggled and went through a tough stretch, but we’re playing extremely hard,” said AHS head coach Jay Graber, whose team improved to 4-9 with the win. “They’re giving us all they have. They’re playing as best they can. We’re just trying to improve on the little mistakes. It was a good start against Jackson Liberty, but this is a big week for us. These four games are big for us to see if we can swing momentum our way.”
   Bascara is hoping to do his part for the Redbirds. Though young, he is in his second year starting for Allentown. The experience he gained as a freshman starter has been invaluable to his development.
   ”This year, I feel a little more comfortable,” he said. “Last year was my first year of high school basketball. It was a little quick for me. Now I’m a little more used to it.”
   Bascara scored 12 points when Allentown beat Jackson Liberty back on Dec. 27 in the consolation game of the Score at the Shore Tournament. This time, he notched the game-winning basket.
   ”Zach Duymich drove to the basket and drew everyone and kicked it out right to me,” Bascara said. “It was the perfect pass right in my shooting pocket and I just let it go.
   ”I feel like it was a pretty big shot,” he said. “Once I let it go, it felt like it was going in. I was really confident.”
   Bascara is also confident that the Redbirds can continue to improve and see the results on the scoreboard. There was a strong feeling about their chances after already beating Jackson Liberty once.
   ”We definitely felt confident,” Bascara said. “We feel confident going into every game. I think we can beat anyone. We played hard and I knew we were going to win this game.”
   Bascara helped lift the Raiders with an encouraging ending. His game has developed since last year thanks to plenty of off-season work and adjusting to his role.
   ”Last year, from middle school to high school, I was pretty big for my age group,” Bascara said. “Now that I’m not that tall anymore compared to everyone, I was working on my ball-handling more and distributing more so I can help the team out.”
   The Redbirds have noticed a more confident, composed player that also brings a passion to the team.
   ”He started every game since this game of his freshman year,” Graber said Monday. “He started all year as a freshman. He probably started 20-25 games.
   ”He was a young guy that really works extremely hard, and is dedicated to the game. He’s a guy we really like in the program a lot. We like his leadership and hard work and dedication.”
   He fits in with a group of players that has a balance of abilities, years in school and experience on the court.
   ”We’re encouraged with what we’re seeing, especially with what we’re seeing with the nucleus of younger guys coming in,” Graber said. “And the older guys are showing leadership. We’re excited for the second half of the season. Hopefully we can build on this Jackson Liberty game.
   ”We were able to take better care of the ball on offense and able to play better help defense,” he said. “They had two really good players and we challenged a couple guys to step them, and they did.”
   James Jenkins is new to the Redbirds. The senior transfer brings AHS some scoring and some flair.
   ”When he plays within the offense, within the scheme of what we’re trying to do, he plays well,” Graber said. “We’re just trying to keep him disciplined. He can get to the basket. When he’s going good, it’s when he’s getting to the basket. He can create and get to the basket and score. When he can get to the rim, he’s tough to stop in there.”
   Duymich is the senior who has been taking on a bigger role this year as the Redbirds try to put him in the best position to be a leader.
   ”Zach has been playing a lot better,” Graber said. “He’s been a lot more assertive. We’ve had him bring the ball up more so we have the ball in his hands more. He’s getting to the basket more now too.”
   Duymich, Tyler Morales and Zack Rosenthal all took turns guarding Jackson Liberty’s top offensive threat Monday. Duymich and Jenkins played Jackson’s other top threat effectively. The Redbirds are still making strides with getting everyone on the same page.
   ”In the beginning of the season, we had a lot more new players, like James and the new players that moved up,” Bascara said. “It was tough to mold together and build chemistry. Now because we had a lot of games and practices, I feel like we know each other a lot more.
   ”As a team, we’re playing pretty well,” he said. “We’re playing more as a team. We have a lot more chemistry with each other.”
   Bascara is trying to do his part. He can get to the basket, pass, defend or deliver the big shot as he did Monday. And he’s just in his second year and continuing to develop.
   ”I feel like when we play out there, I still learn from the older guys,” Bascara said. “They still help me out. We help each other out.”
   Bascara can understand what freshmen like Hunter Gerling are experiencing and help them adjust. Bascara was figuring out the varsity level last year. He’s taken his lessons and put them into action to help the Redbirds overcome their losing streak.
   ”I feel like our confidence boosted so much,” Bascara said. “After that long stretch of losses, our confidence boosted so much when we won.”
   Now, he is hoping he can help the Allentown boys basketball team start a winning streak to kick off the second half of the year.
   ”I think we’re ready for it,” Bascara said. “I see how hard we play every single game. As long as we play that hard and with that much heart, I think we can beat all these teams.”