December 6th

 

A wet day greeted us in Pennsylvania, though after a long drive a beautiful setting greated us at Merceberg Academy. 

Game 6 Mercerberg Academy

Freshman report by Harry Dunn win 

After the freshman's past three losses the boys were determined to bounce back and take home a win. We started the game with a great first quarter with Ollie Davis sinking a number of 3 pointers. The big men were excellent under the ring catching a lot rebounds and working together to score some easy points. Patrick Di Giannantonio played solid defense stopping the opposition from gaining easy points. Special mention goes to James Corben for doing exceptionally well in his new position as a small forward. In today's game everything began to click unlike past games, hopefully this will last for the rest of the tour.

JV report from Tom Dickinson 

In yet another hard-fought game, the JV boys were unable to hold out the Mercersburg team. Although we started very well with strong defense, our work at the offensive end went unrewarded as we struggled to get the ball in the hoop. Jeremiah Romeo and Julius Truong worked hard to feed the ball to the post players, although, we were unable to convert these efforts into points. The game was intense for the entire time and all players did very well on defense forcing turnovers. It was neck and neck to the last minute and Trinity was down 35-29. Jeremiah Romeo sunk a 3-pointer on a special play to bring the score to 35-32, and Johnny Bechara put the ball in the hoop for 2 points on the final buzzer. With the final score being 35-34, it was only natural that the boys were frustrated, however we identified key areas for improvement and ended on a positive note. The boys now look forward to a couple days of rest and I have no doubt that they will come out firing in the next fixture and will be hungry for a win.

Varsity 61 to 43 loss 

Though another loss for the side tonight we saw signs of improvement. The same mistakes were made again in the first half and the dark clouds of disaster started forming. However,  being patient with the ball was starting to improve the balance of play and Trinity closed the spread in the last two quarters and actually won the second half. This came about after some smart offence by Lucas Angelakos who was able to draw fouls out of Mercersburg's dominant 6'8" power forward. Though the greatest improvement came from the team looking at the whole floor getting good shooting options and limited the turnovers. Jayden Tanevski was good with 15 points in his limited time on court with Jarred Fernandes drove well with the ball. Jerimiah Romeo made his debut in the Varsity team and made the most of his opportunities. A confidence booster for the Varsity as there was some good ball played tonight.

Football Hall of Fame and Ten Pin

LWhat a great day. After a night where the Trinity boys were entertained by Washington HS students, many turned up bleary eyed after a late night of fun together. We attended the NFL Hall of Fame where the boys were given a talk on the evolution of American Football. 

The day was very interesting with a number of interactive displays that allowed the boys to listen and learn about American Football.

After a lunch at Cracker Barrel, where some good old fashioned home cooking was on the menu, we went and had a quick game of ten pin bowling. Much laughter and bonding was had with Sebastian Diaz taking out the title of top bowler on the day. We will try and not mention who was poor but Jerimiah Romeo could have won this title. 

After our games we went to Glenoak HS where then sense of community and welcoming from the school was exceptional. The sense was that this was going to be a good homestay, where county hospitality was afore. 

Washington HS and Game 4

School at Washington HS

Today the boys attended school at Washington high school and took apart in many different subject, Jake Kerry said he was learning about marketing for 2 and a half hours with some other boys including James Finney, Lucas Angelakos, Callum price, Don Li and Tom Dickinson. Jake said it was an enjoyable experience and was complete different to the way trinity teach back home. Some other boys attended Spanish class, English and Maths. The boys were treated like rock stars, there were endless girls wanting pictures with Sebastian Diaz and Riley smith. James 'JCIZZLE' Corben was well known around the school already for his rapping. Overall all the boys enjoyed the endless attention and different school conditions they witnessed today.

Game 4

Freshman loss 46-24

Game report from Edison Chan

The Boys were disappointed after a devastating lost to St Xavier. The Freshmen Team were willing to bounce back and redeem themselves but a shaky start scarred us for the rest of the game. Trinity gave away to many easy points on the fastbreak and a lack of confident rebounding enabled Massillon to have the lead at the half. The "Green Machine" started to bring the game closer with determination and great rebounding , which gave a Trinity some momentum heading into the fourth quarter. However Massillon were more enthusiastic and were able to secure the victory 46-24. 

JV

Game report by Josh 

Today's game against Washington High School was a good step forward not only for our dedicated JV team but for our 2nd team back at home. We also had a great boost in both offense and defense with Alex Andreatta coming back from injury missing the first 3 games. As predicted, Washington came out firing with their speed and agility creating fast break opportunities and close inside looks. A strong first half from Johnny Bechara  going to the ring and creating chances, sometimes leading to opportunities at the free throw line was what we needed. We went into the locker room at half time loosing by a tough but not beatable 18 point lead and the boys were determined to turn it around. Julius Truong came out firing in the second half using his speed and quickness against the Washington defense creating and forcing turnovers which frustrated them. Overall I can say that the JV team can hold their head up high and be proud of their efforts. Even though we lost I can proudly say that in our own eyes it was a way forward. 

Varsity loss 70 to 42

Again, patience was the theme from the team that came out. It was obvious that the team were wanting to improve on their last game and start eliminating the mistakes that have plagued them in earlier fixtures. Across all three teams, Trinity has struggled to find any rhythm and consistence to their offence. Again, this was the case tonight. Jake Kerry continues to improve and looks more in control now that he has started a few games. 

December 3 and 4

Saying goodbye to St Xavier was hard after such a great first homestay. A period of travel was ahead of us along with some very cold weather with snow flurries and ice around. 

Arriving at Washington "Massillon Tigers" High School. This school is renowned in the district for its football program, last home game drawing nearly 20 000 people. The boys were also in awe of the new indoor multi purpose training facility.

The boys were keen to get out on the football oval and try their hand at a game of American Football.

The boys met the Massilon homestays and shared an evening meal at the Eagels club, where boys were teenagers together. The Massillon boys were keen to show off their rapping skills and dueling in a rap battle. 

Match Report v St Xavier

Game 3 v St Xavier 

Freshman loss 70 to 34

After a day at school the boys were keen to get rid of their school uniform and get their basketball kit on and hit the court. St Xavier scored off the tip off, an omen for the first quarter as they were hot with the ball. Ollie Davis scored two nice baskets on the left hand side with lane. Too often the Freshman threw cross court passes that were picked  off and gifting St Xavier easy baskets. Coach Barnes called for better defence for the second half which was evident early with a number of  "stops" and baskets for Trinity. Ryan Marinak, Jed Keogh and Ben LaRusso battled hard and the effort was there though St Xavier were too good.

JV loss 66 to 16

In an exciting opening exchange Trinity had  better application to defence, showing greater steel than on previous nights. Jared Phillis opened the scoring for the side after some nice passes from Julius Truong and Matt Gleeson.  In a low scoring game, Trinity's effort and desire improved in the second half with change in defensive system. Trinity created many good scoring chances, though finishing off these plays proved very costly. St Xavier needed to take the long shot, because of tighter defence in the key, though this was dangerous at St Xavier had the hot hand, regularly nailing the three. A disappointing final quarter gave away too many points to easily.

Varsity loss 79 to 27

A very patient but physical opening exchanges showed that there had been some honest reflection from the Trinity players. Though being outclassed by their play, Trinity  battled hard and were earning some respect from the opposition and crowd. Down 37 to 15 at half time, all players had certainly improved. St Xavier's desire to have the ball and control possession while playing with pace and speed was enviable. It was obvious that the team is missing the presence, offensive threat and creativity of Jayden Tanevski, trying hard to fill his valuable shoes. The absence of a  shot clock enables teams to hold possession and not shoot has been hurting this team. Persistence wand perseverance are the lessons to be learned here. Jake Kerry improved tonight playing his best game of tour, taking more responsibility in leading the team with the ball. Callum Price continues to battle hard under the hoop against some bigger and more athletic opposition and continues to look more comfortable with the level and pace of the game here in the states. 

Follow the game live

You can follow the Varsity stats live tonight on

www.stxavier.org 

Dec 2nd, A day at school as a St Xavier student

Today boys came to school with their St Xavier homestay families at 7.30am and were allocated a local student to pit up the day with. They went to classes with these boys to learn about classes and lessons that were taught in US schools. Some comments from Thomas Mackenzie below.

"Boys met their shadow student for the day at 7:50 and then attended their four morning classes such as History, Spanish, Science and Scripture. In class both the teachers and students were more interested in us Aussies rather then getting on with the prepared lessons. They asked us about home, if we had pizza in Australia and if we drove here from Sydney! After this we all had lunch in the school's canteen where the majority of us had pizza. "

After lunch, feeling the need to improve themselves, the boys called a training session and headed to the gym to prepare for the game that evening.