- April 23, 2024
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Spruce Creek center Cameron Sargent (No. 23) goes up for a block against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
Hawks coach Chase Tramont shouts instructions to his team on the court. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek's Dylan Maroney drives in for a layup against the Bulldogs. Photo by Ray Boone
A Spruce Creek player drives in for a layup over a Bulldogs defender. Photo by Ray Boone
Hawks guard Travis Baranowski attempts a jump shot against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
The Hawks' Dylan Maroney (No. 0) and Kyle Thiel (No. 12) play defense in the first quarter against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek forward Matthew Steiner (No. 22) attempts to block a shot against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
Hawks Center Cameron Sargent attempts a free throw against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
The Spruce Creek boys basketball team could almost taste victory. The Hawks entered the second half down two points to Flagler Palm Coast, and with 4:30 left in the third quarter, the Hawks held a one-point lead.
But in a stretch that spanned 1 minute, 35 seconds, the Bulldogs got hot. They hadn’t hit a 3-pointer the entire night until that point, but in that time frame, they connected on three in a row to pull ahead for good.
And despite a solid defensive effort, Spruce Creek lost 50-39 to the Bulldogs on Friday, Dec. 8, at Spruce Creek High School. The Hawks shot 36.4% from the field and connected on two of their 15 3-pointers. In addition, no Hawks player scored more than nine points.
“You know, it’s really hard to win when you can’t put the ball in the basket,” Spruce Creek coach Chase Tramont said. “Hats off to FPC. They played hard, and they executed well tonight. They got hot, and we didn’t. But we’ve got to learn to put the ball in the basket.”
The start to the 2017 season has been a tough one for the Hawks. They’re winless through six games and have scored under 50 points in three of those games.
The reason for the team’s struggles?
“Our lack of experience,” said Tramont, whose team returned just two varsity players from last season. “We’re in a rebuilding year. We’ve got a lot of guys who've never competed at this level of basketball. They’re not going to get used to that overnight. We’re going to take a lot of bumps and bruises this year. But, we’re going to continue to grind it out. We’re going to continue to work hard. And, at some point, we’ll figure out how to handle this pressure.”
At times, the Hawks have almost broken through, have almost figured out the riddle to victory.
In the second game of the season, they led Seminole by four points at the half before losing 78-66. They lost to Winter Park by five points on Dec. 1. Their best chance came against Ocoee on Dec. 6. Spruce Creek led by 20 on its home court before falling 67-62 in overtime.
The next step: Finding the player who’s willing to seize the moment.
“We need someone with the ability to grab the bull by the horns, and that’s what we’re missing right now,” Tramont said. “I think we’ve got multiple guys who can do that. I really do. I think that they’ve got to believe it first, though. I can’t believe it for them. That’s what it’s going to come down to. They’ve got to believe they can do it, and then they’ve got to go out and get the job done.”
