By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Their 2004-05 Class I season opener didn’t close the way they hoped, but the boys of Pembroke Academy basketball proved they won’t be walked over this winter.

Although the final score resulted in a 72-49 win for the host Falcons, the contest was much more competitive than the numbers indicated.

BOXED IN – Using the baseline as an added defender, Bow junior center Paul Chergey makes sure PA junior Jonathan Berube has no place to go. The Falcons pulled away after the break to win, 72-49. (Marc Thaler Photo)

“Pembroke, I’ve gotta give them credit,” said Bow head coach Chris Gaudreau. “We knew they were a scrappy group and we knew they were not gonna roll over.”

“We lost by 23, but we still worked and scrapped the whole way through,” said PA head coach Chris Gleason. “It wasn’t like we folded and just let them do what they wanted. We didn’t execute well at all, and we did a really good job of making Bow look good. They are good, but (we helped make them look better).”

If not for a multitude of PA turnovers and an inability to answer a pair of double-digit Bow runs – one at the start of each half – the evening might’ve ended differently.

The Spartans, cold from the field at the start, dug themselves a deep hole by falling behind, 10-0. The visitors’ first field goal didn’t come until 3:37 remained in the first frame.

Down 32-25 at the half, PA opened the third quarter equally cold, allowing Bow to distance itself with a pivotal 12-0 run in the first four minutes.

“Those are the crucial times and we didn’t answer and we didn’t stop them,” Gleason said. “They executed perfectly ... That’s what good teams are supposed to do.”

The PA head coach said his team’s costly miscues and slow starts to open each half were especially surprising, considering the Spartans played smart basketball in their three preseason scrimmages leading up to the Dec. 17 opener.

A lack of “focus, intensity and mental toughness” for a full 32 minutes were the biggest contributing factors to PA’s tough night, Gleason added.

“The turnovers surprised me because we normally take good care of the ball pretty well,” Gleason said. “But Bow forced us into that. They did a great job. They came out and denied and now we’ve gotta work harder on matching that kind of intensity.”

Still, the PA head coach stressed he was happy with the upbeat attitude of every player. Following Bow’s 12-0 run to open the third, the Spartans raised their level of play.

Steve Yeaton, who led PA with 17 points, was around the basketball all night. On offense, the senior spotted up for several jumpers on the perimeter and attacked the glass for key rebounds and short-range put-backs.

On defense, he was charged with the task of defending Bow’s biggest weapons – 6-foot-6 junior Mike Chergey and his 6-foot-5 brother, junior Paul Chergey.

“There was a stretch I wish he had a little more support because it was almost like he could’ve taken over that game,” Gleason said of Yeaton. “That was a physically grueling game and I don’t think he was out more than two minutes ... I think the sky’s the limit with him.”

In addition to Yeaton, seniors Jason Corbeil, Tim Riel and Ben Ruoff, plus juniors Jonathan Berube and Jake Parris, proved PA can be dangerous in the open court. The explosive quintet ran the floor well at times, something Gleason would like his squad to do with consistency this season.

“Some of the kids put forth some tremendous individual efforts and we’ll build on that,” said Gleason, whose Spartans were scheduled to host Plymouth Regional on Tuesday, Dec 21. “Some of the kids know that they need to work a little bit harder.”