Published: January 21, 2008 10:26 am         

Learn to like it and the wins will follow

Here's the dirty little secret about defense: Nobody really likes to play it.

But the ones who play it best are the ones who become the best, regardless of the sport or the level on which it's played.

It's a difficult sell job. Everyone dreams of making the big shot at the buzzer. No one dreams about making the big defensive stop, or taking the charge or grabbing the rebound as time expires.

So chalk one up for Todd Eirich at Fort Hill. The Sentinels are playing great defense and, not coincidentally, are 10-0, after limiting Allegany to 15 first-half points and 39 for the game in an 18-point victory Friday.

"The biggest key was us playing defense,'' said Jordan Brooks, who scored a game-high 25 points on the other end of the court. "Playing defense and boxing out were the most important things."

Darren Graham, who had 12 big points in the second half, agreed.

"This was a very big game and we really needed that win,'' he said. "The key was we played good defense. We could've rebounded a bit better, but we did a pretty good job rebounding, too."

Fort Hill has allowed 50 or fewer points in six of its 10 games, and is allowing an average of only 45 per game.

The 57-39 win, which guaranteed the Sentinels of a share of the City League title for the third year in a row, was Fort Hill's third in a row at Allegany.

It was also the 19th straight regular-season win for Fort Hill, which is 33-3 the last two seasons.

The big-play capability of Brooks, the area player of the year last season, was evident all evening as he had 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. He got the Sentinels' offense going early with 11 first-quarter points, and his jumper as time expired gave Fort Hill a 26-15 halftime lead.

"Jordan's a leader and the shot at the end of the half was a big shot,'' said Eirich. "Allegany made a nice run at the end of the half, and his shot made it an 11-point game and I thought that was big going into the locker room.

"Jordan draws people, and when he draws people to him he can dish it off,'' Eirich said. "He's a good passer. He's just a good basketball player. I'm glad to have him."

Graham, scoreless in the first half, went to work quickly in the second. First, he fed a cutting Jordan Helmick in the lane for a layup, then scored five straight points to move the score to 33-17.

"We challenged Darren a little bit at halftime to stay closer to the basket. He was coming out on the perimeter a bit too much,'' said Eirich. "He did a good job on the boards and made some key early baskets in the second half for us."

Later, when momentum seemed to be turning to Allegany when the Campers scored seven straight points to get to within nine with three minutes to go, Graham inched his way back outside. And, from right in front of his kneeling coach, he took a three-pointer.

Only Eirich knows if he approved of the shot at the time. But he and the Sentinel fans loved it when it hit nothing but net. It was Graham's team-leading 13th three of the year.

"In the first half I tried to get my teammates involved and tried to support them. I was nervous a little bit in the first half,'' said Graham, who had played at Allegany as a freshman and sophomore.

"In the second half I tried to calm down a bit, and just tried to do the little things. The three-pointer ... I usually shoot them, and that was my first one of the night. I just had to make it."

For Allegany, the best thing to do about Friday night is to forget it. The Campers were 15-for-53 from the field, and 1-for-10 on three-pointers. Those nights happen, to everyone. You shake it off, and move on.

The fact that a team could shoot 28 percent and be within striking distance - down by nine (only three possessions) with the ball with three minutes left - against a top-ranked, undefeated team can certainly be used as a confidence builder.

You can bet coach Tedd Eirich has already told that to his Campers. No matter what, if a team plays good defense it will likely be around in the end.

"We wanted to make them work hard for their shots and I think we did a pretty good job of that,'' said Fort Hill's Todd Eirich.

When Allegany watches the game film that's likely what they'll see. Tedd Eirich said his players got a lot of the shots they wanted. And while they did, they also didn't get many that went unchallenged.

That's the way it was on both sides of the court. Allegany is giving up only 51 points per game, so Tedd Eirich's done a good job selling defense and getting results, too.

The Campers, starting three sophomores, stand at 11-1 midway through the season. There's not much more that can be asked of them, and the coaches know it. Truth be told, this year's young team is way ahead of schedule.

The Campers are 29-7 the last two seasons, and still very much in the hunt for everything, including a share of the City title, which they have won or shared every year since the league's return in the 2003-04 season.

There will be another Fort Hill-Allegany game. And perhaps another one after that. That's the way it's been the last two seasons.

Yes, the Fort Hill-Allegany rivalry is alive and well. A bit perplexing, too.

Fort Hill has won three of the last four games played at Allegany, and Allegany has won three of the last four played at Fort Hill.

Prior to Friday, in the six games played over the previous two seasons it's been an even split. Three wins for both. And in those six games Allegany scored 378 points and Fort Hill 377.

That means it's anyone's guess as to what might happen Feb. 1 at Fort Hill.

Contact Mike Mathews at mmathews@times-news.com.