Missed Shots Leave the V.I. in the Cold

The Village Idiots faced off against Hilti in a showdown of two playoff contenders from the Skywalker division Thursday night. The Idiots, at 5-2, had a good chance to bolster a playoff berth against their 6-2 opponents.

The V.I. were carried early by the slashing and sharpshooting of Jay C, as he took advantage of Hilti's attempt at man-to-man defense. The defense eventually did adjust and the 2-1-2 zone became more difficult to conquer. A low ceiling made for a sixth defender as a number of Idiot shots needed to be rerouted to avoid the structural impedement. Without the reliability of the usual outside threat, the V.I. had their early lead all but evaporate and only held onto a 29-28 edge at the half.

Someone should have checked the insulation at the Julia Richman High school, because the frigid weather apparently made its way into the gym and put the freeze on the Village Idiot offense in the second half. Good ball movement led to many open shots against the Hilti zone, but the Idiots came up empty on the vast majority of their looks as they fell behind by double-digits. Only a late run fueled by tight defense and key buckets by the Greek kept it close. The Idiots were left on the short end of a 62-56 final score. With 4 games remaining, there is now little room for error in the Idiots' quest for a spot in the playoffs.

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