Saturday Sports: St. Lawrence Basketball plays overseas, Red & Black win at home

CANTON, New York (WWNY) – Summer basketball for the St. Lawrence Men’s Basketball Team took on a new meaning this year as the team got a chance to hone their game overseas against some international competition.

Coach Chris Downs and his team recently returned from Spain, where the Saints spent a little over a week and played 3 games against some international competition, going 2-1 in those contests.

Downs says his players got to experience a different type of play than they’re use to here in the states.

”If you tried to put the ball on the ground, guys could bump you and chest you up whereas at our level they call every foul that gets called. It was a very physical game. We played against a lot of older guys. some former professionals that played for these club teams. It was not a game over there for the weak,” said Downs.

With 14 of 15 players returning from last year’s team that won a share of the Liberty League Regular Season title, Downs says one of the things he wanted to focus on during the overseas excursion was for his players to play a little faster but get quality shots.

”In Europe, they play, in FIBA, they play with a 24 second shot clock. So we had practices, we had 3 or 4 practices prior to going to Barcelona, and we played with that shot clock. It just forces your pace of play, you have to get into your sets, everybody has to know what you’re doing more quickly,” said Downs.

The trip was also a good experience for not only the players to bond on and off the court but for Downs to get to know his players a little better off the court.

”A lot of times, Rob, I think as the basketball coach during the season you tend to spend a lot of time connecting with the guys that are playing a lot. So you’re always trying to help them get better. When I was over there, I learned a lot about some of the guys that I didn’t know as much about and how interesting they are and what their real aspirations are. It couldn’t have been a better team building, better bond building experience than it was,” said Downs.

Downs says without the help of alumni, this trip wouldn’t have been possible.

With the NCAA only allowing teams to make trips like this once every 4 years, Downs says plans are in the works to do this again in 2028.

”I’ve already started to have the conversation of going to Portugal or taking them to China. I’m mad that I didn’t do this or start doing this 25 years ago when I started coaching. I should have done it. The kids would have got so much out of it over the years,” said Downs.

It‘s a trip Downs hopes pays big dividends for his team this season and beyond.

The Watertown Red and Black played game 2 of their 3 game home-stand Saturday night at George Ashcraft Field, hosting the Auburn Pride in Northeastern Football Alliance action.

It was a sluggish first quarter with both teams scoreless. In the second quarter, the first big mistake of the game as Auburn with a bad snap on a punt attempt gives the ball lto Watertown at the one.

It was Shawn Johnson on the quarterback sneak with 3:11 left in the second quarter to give Watertown the first touchdown of the game.

Eric Beylor kicks the extra point to make it 7-0 Watertown at the half.

In the 3rd quarter, Samaj James showed how to gain some yards after the catch for a Red & Black first down.

That sets up a Shawn Johnson to Chris Furr strike for the touchdown: 14-0 Red & Black leads.

Now in the 4th quarter, it’s Johnson to Furr once again, this time a 20 yard touchdown pass play: 20-0 Red & Black.

Watertown goes on to beat Auburn 20 to 6.

”I mean, it always feels nice, but I’ll do anything to help the team win regardless whether I’m in the endzone or whether it’s another teammate is in the endzone,” said Furr.

“I just feel like we all got it together, you know? Couple of mistakes in the first half, drop passes, short passes. We just got it back together. That’s all that counts you know,” said Johnson.

“It’s a game. There’s a lot of drop balls in the first half. We didn’t play well, we were kind of sloppy. To pull off a 20 to 6 victory, we’re 2 and 1. Lets just keep this thing rolling if we can,” said Ashcraft.

Copyright 2024 WWNY. All rights reserved.