When you face a team with a front line of 6-foot, 6 inches, 6-10, 6-5 what can you do but guard the inside.

Friday, February 23, 2001

When you face a team with a front line of 6-foot, 6 inches, 6-10, 6-5 what can you do but guard the inside.

The Austin High School boys basketball team followed that strategy Tuesday and it worked against them in a 56-50 home loss to Rochester John Marshall.

"We were pretty focused in taking away the inside game," said AHS head coach Kris Fadness. "When their guards hit those shots they are awfully tough to beat."

It was the Rockets’ lethal backcourt combination of Mike Hardy and Mark Clarey that was the difference in the outcome. Proof of that was near the end of the first half.

The Packers led 20-11 before the Rockets’ explosion by Hardy and Clarey. Hardy hit two three-pointers and Clarey hit a three-point at the end of the first half that cut a four-point AHS lead to one, 29-28.

"The Clarey shot was a big shot," Fadness said. "We were ahead by four. That gave them momentum going into the half. In the third quarter, they jumped on us quick and we were playing catchup the rest of the night.

"The bottom line is we didn’t play real well. We didn’t shoot the ball well JM is big. I though they wore us down."

AHS drops to 11-6 in the Big Nine Conference and 12-9 overall.

Dan Smith led the Packers with 15 points, Adam Kasper hit for 12, and Zack Tufte added 10. Hardy had 16 points and Clarey 15 for JM.

The Packers play their final regular season game at home on Friday, March 2, against Rochester Mayo.