CGBCNN
Staff Writer - Randy Pifer
Updated: 11:34 AM 10/20/12
It was to be a celebration. The crowning jewel of The Fightin' Reformers' first ever basketball team, and they had all the pieces in place. The team was all present and the gym was packed full of CGBC faithful. The opponent, however, had other plans and spoiled an otherwise fun filled and memorable evening with their basketball skill and athleticism. Ben Skaug, coming back from his near fatal injury, played well with 19 points but Goforth once again led the team in scoring with 21. The story today, however, was not what happened on the court, but rather what happened in the stands. A swarm of fans enveloped Renfrew Baptist tonight and turned their court into a home away from home. Super Fans Jordan and Paul Lazar lead the cheering and had the crowd in a frenzy from the opening tip. Stan Stein was overheard commenting on the turnout when he said "everything we do at CGBC we try to do with excellence. The basketball team could take a lesson from it's fans".
Josh Harbert and Aaron Cline played their usual good defense while Benji Hutson was in a rare pass-first mood and looked for his teammates early and often. But, as has been the case far too often this season, the Reformers were the victims of their own missed shots. Missed layups and forced shots seemed to rule this day. Fans Wayne and Traci Batson remarked, "it was like they wanted to build a house with all those bricks!" As the final horn sounded and the fans started to file out, John Beasley and Kaylee Bigger praised the event. "The atmosphere was electric!" "I know this much, they have gained a life long fan" said Amanda Butler. Season ticket holder, Justin McDaniel just shook his head as he left the arena. "He gets really wrapped up in these games. You should see his den wall! It is covered in Reformer memorabilia. He loves this team and hates to see them lose" said Tom Kline. The Auwarter family, seeing a Reformer's game live for the first time, left impressed with the event, but cautioned the team to be more prepared before the playoffs start.
Former professional baseball player, Phil Brown, noted "they were bigger and faster, but that is no excuse. It's not the size of the dog in the fight it's the size of the fight in the dog" he exclaimed. Skaug seemed to have adopted that philosophy as he went into the teeth of the defense with reckless abandon time and time again. Not once caring who may or may not have been wide open for an "easy" two points. "He was like a bull in a china shop" said Ben Elting, "yeah, a blind bull" added his wife Heather. Jodie Skaug, wife of the star forward, said "he doesn't trust some of the other players on the team". That startling revelation, as the Fightin' Reformers enter the final week of the regular season, could rip this team apart at its very seems.
Michael Moon and Thomas Richardson both made a play or two, but Randy Pifer's recent struggles seem to have continued as he finished with just 3 points. The strategy seemed to be that the Reformers wanted to play a tight zone defense and force Evangelistic Temple into long shots. The strategy was flawless, but the opponent continued to hit the outside shots and by the time they started to cool off, the lead had ballooned over 15 points and despite their best efforts, the Refomers' were only able to get as close as 5 for the remainder of the game.
GM Pifer, after the game, was very appreciative of all the fans who came out to support the team. "That was awesome. I'm proud to be associated with these people and this team. I think of them all as part of my family, and tonight proved what a tight knit group we are!"
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