Published: November 30, 2008 01:08 am         

North Miami overwhelms young Caston squad

DENVER — There is no substitute for size and experience when it comes to high school basketball. This was the lesson learned by the young Caston boys basketball team on Saturday night while visiting North Miami.

It didn’t take long for the Warriors to use both to their advantage as they cruised to a 96-32 victory over the Comets.

“We are a young team playing on the road against a big, experienced team. Not only that, but they are one of the best teams we will face all season,” Caston coach Andy Firth said. “There are not a lot of positives to take away from this game. Our young guards got pressured and we didn't handle it well.”

The entire first half was a rash of Comet turnovers as Caston amassed only six points in the first quarter and eight in the second while North Miami used fastbreaks and the inside presence of Greg Miller and Nolan Haynes to build an insurmountable 54-14 halftime lead.

“We wanted to put pressure on them from the beginning with the fullcourt press,” North Miami coach Zach Henson said. “Our kids worked extremely hard this summer and since practice started to get into really good shape. They are well conditioned and we were able to really hassle their guards and force turnovers.”

Things didn't get much better for the Comets in the second half despite their unwillingness to give up. The Warriors continued to pressure Caston and force early turnovers while Haynes and Miller dominated the post on both ends of the floor. The Comets battled hard, but could only connect on a pair of buckets between Alex Herd and Trevor Hoover giving North Miami an 82-18 advantage.

“We lost our starting point guard already in Ethan Zartman and I think he could have provided leadership and a difference tonight,” Firth said. “All in all, it comes down to being dedicated to working hard in the offseason and make it a point to work hard so we can get to where North Miami is now. They have kids show up to every workout in the summer, and we will need that type of work ethic to move forward as a program.”

The fourth quarter was when the Comets showed some life as they tallied 14 points in the stanza as Herd provided six points to lead his team with eight on the night.

“Our guys inside and our leaders really stepped up,” Henson said. “We did a nice job and I was happy with how the kids responded.”

The Warriors also won the junior varsity contest in impressive fashion 64-26.

The Comets will try to rebound from the lopsided loss when they play arch-rival Pioneer in the Cass County Tournament at Logansport Saturday.