After an hour drive, the men from tantalus basketball tried finishing off a good practice week with a win on the road versus Wageningen. The first quarter showed a different story as the opponent was able to score, mostly off assists, which resulted in a 14 point deficit at the end of the first quarter.

As the Italian coach reminded the players why they showed up in this sports gym on a Friday night, the men from Tantalus where able to contain the other team on the defensive end and make jump shots. This resulted in Tantalus getting back within six points at the end of the second quarter.

The second half promised more of the good team play that Tantalus showed on the offensive and defensive end. Against a zone defense that the coach from Wageningen chose to mix things up, the Tantalus jump shot was highly effective as good ball movement found the open man with consistency. The coach from Wageningen took a time out to get his players back on track, and switching back to a man to man defense did just that. As the Tantalus offense only resulted in semi-contested jump shots that didn’t go in, the Wageningen offense was able to succeed by strong play inside from their big men, and smart play from their guards. End of the third quarter Tantalus was trailing by 12.

The fourth quarter showed similarities to that off the third quarter, as Wageningen was able to secure the lead down the stretch while Tantalus didn’t have the capacity to mount a comeback. Final score: 64-81

Leading scorers: Jose 18, Dirk 7,Maikel 6

• text: André Smeets