Views From The Couch: Nichols Game Winner Lifts General Brown Over Indian River (3/4/21)

Life during a pandemic strikes again. I never thought I'd spend nights sitting at home watching games through a computer screen while they're being played in New York gyms, but COVID restrictions can get in the way. Unfortunately, my planned Thursday game was postponed less than 4 hours before tip time, and I was unable to get in touch with athletic administrators in time to make backup plans. No worries though, I'll catch up on some streams? It's 2021, technology should've allowed this to be a thing for a while now.

My first game of the night was an intriguing Watertown area matchup. I even initially considered reaching out to see about media policies at General Brown to see them take on Indian River, and after watching it live on the stream, I wish I did give it a shot. It turned into an entertaining contest between the Frontier League foes, which featured a 2nd half double digit comeback and a last-second game winner.

THE GAME

It may have started slow offensively, but there was still a tug-of-war with every point scored. The 1st quarter featured 5 of the game's eventual 10 lead changes. Nearly half of it came at the free throw line in the first 8 minutes, but the last shot of the quarter came from *a little* farther out as Adrien LaMora (Indian River 2022) buried a 60 footer before the buzzer to give Indian River a 10-8 lead. The visitors maintained a narrow lead for most of the 2nd quarter, but General Brown scored the last 5 of the half on a Kori Nichols (General Brown 2023) three & Karsyn Fields (General Brown 2022) bucket to go into the locker room up 19-16.

Adrien LaMora, pictured here at the 2020 EST Fall Showcase, had 17 of her game high 25 points in the 2nd half for Indian River.

General Brown started the 2nd half with a push to open up their lead. They scored the first 6 of the frame to extend the margin to 9 and force an Indian River timeout. After the bleeding was briefly stopped, the Lions got a Fields trey & Lily Dupee (General Brown 2023) and-one to give them their largest lead at 31-18 with 2:10 left in the 3rd. 

It was LaMora time from there though, as a previously stagnant offense started to get going behind her exploits. She hit four free throws & canned a three in the last 2 minutes of the quarter to pull Indian River within 6 at 31-25. Two more Warrior buckets extended the run to 11-0 before General Brown briefly stopped the bleeding, but six more LaMora points in a 23 second span - another three & a three-point play - gave Indian River a 35-34 lead with 4:20 left. Nichols buried a long right wing three on the ensuing possession, helping propel a string of late ties & lead changes. Indian River took the lead back with two LaMora free throws at the 1:56 mark, then Emma Dupee (General Brown 2022) tied it at 39 on the next possession. Indian River answered with LaMora again, who scored in the post to make it 41-39 with 1:25 left. General Brown then tied it again, with Emma Dupee squaring it at 41 with :39.5 left. The two teams then exchanged stops, and a General Brown foul on a steal attempt sent Indian River to the line with :06.0 remaining. The two free throws were off though, giving General Brown a chance to win it in regulation. On the sideline out of bounds play, Nichols caught it at the left wing, faced up, took one dribble right, and lofted up a floater that rang true with :00.9 remaining to win it.

Kori Nichols led General Brown with 15 points, 6 coming in the 4th quarter including the game winner. Per the official box score, Karsyn Fields added 11 in the victory (I had her for 12, but it was difficult to see GB's numbers on the live stream - we'll go with the box!). Adrien LaMora turned it up out of intermission & had a monster 2nd half, where she had 17 of her game high 25 points.

Maybe not a view from the baseline, but my vantage point of General Brown's narrow victory over Indian River!

#ViewsFromTheCouch

- I've had a few locals tell me about the current core of 2022s & 2023s at General Brown, which has been on the rise in the Watertown area over the last couple years. I still haven't been able to get up there & watch them (and I haven't seen any of the individual players on the AAU circuit either), so this was my initial look. First impression? Intriguing group with some nice pieces. It's a guard-oriented group with decent athleticism, and when they space defenses out, they have a few kids that can put it on the deck & get downhill. It looked like at least a handful of players had the ability to score for them when needed, which is more than what many teams in their classification can offer. With only one senior on the roster, they'll basically all be back next year and should be very much in the mix in Section 3 Class B.

- Kori Nichols, the name I've heard the most out of the General Brown crew, was impressive. It was a balanced offensive attack & she didn't take a ton of shots, but even before the game winner, she seemed to come through with buckets that were big in the moment. She showed the speed in transition to start the 2nd half with a couple streaks & finishes to help put them up double digits. When Indian River took the lead back, she quickly answered by squaring up off the catch & confidently drilling a long three. The game winning bucket showed the quickness/athleticism to break free & get to a scoring area, footwork/skill to stop on a dime on the catch, square up, and attack the opposite direction in one motion, and the in-between game with the floater. High level athlete that plays well off the ball & has deep range on the J... not a bad start. I'll be interested in keeping track of the 2023 guard's development going forward.

- In my eyes, basketball is the most individual team sport there is. Although it's a 5v5 game, it can potentially be taken over by one player, and I'm one that appreciates watching a high-level talent individually put their stamp on a game. So with that said, Adrien LaMora's 2nd half kept me glued to the YouTube screen. The 6'0" 2022 & longtime standout at Indian River took over for a stretch - scored in the post with both hands, knocked down perimeter Js, drew extra defensive attention & created for others, brought her energy level up a notch & was an increasingly physical presence on the glass. One of Section 3's most versatile talents, she played literally everywhere on the court offensively for Indian River, which has been the case for the last couple years. They came up just short Thursday, but they wouldn't have been in that position if not for what Adrien brought in the 2nd half.

- March 4, 2021: a General Brown double digit lead overcome by their visitors, thanks in large part to a superlative effort from an area standout, only to be answered by big plays late and a two point General Brown win. The last time I watched a game at General Brown (in person, of course)? Let's take it all the way back to December 23, 2016. General Brown led big in the 1st half only to see their visitors come all the way back... tell me if you've heard this before, thanks in large part to a superlative effort from an area standout... only to be answered by big plays late and a two point General Brown win. I sense a pattern. The score then was 47-45. The game winning layup was from Chelsea VanTassel, who briefly played at St. Lawrence. The game tying free throws were from Kylee Rosbrook, who's still doing her thing at SUNY Brockport. The big comeback performance? My first time seeing a 7th grade Jackie Piddock, who was then at IHC. Pretty good track record of entertaining games when my eyes go to Dexter. Hoping I'll be able to make the trip in the near future to see another one in person!

Stick figure Jeff is back (someone give him a stomach & switch it to iced coffee to make it realistic). Catch you on the next segment of Views From The Couch!