La Familia’s second-half surge secures victory

By Casey Roberts, Contributing Writer

In the fast-paced world of competitive basketball, pre-game strategies often set the stage for success or failure. Tyler Ulis, a former standout at Kentucky and current coach of the alumni team La Familia, understands this all too well.

“We knew before the game what type of team they were,” Ulis said about The Nawf. “We told our guys that they would come out with high energy, aggressively pursuing rebounds and loose balls.”

Despite their preparations, La Familia stumbled through the first half, unable to gain a lead in either of the opening quarters. The team’s shooting woes were evident, with Kerem Kanter—the lone non-Wildcat alumnus—shouldering much of the scoring burden.

Kanter, the younger brother of former UK forward Enes Kanter, scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. However, his teammates combined for a dismal 3-for-17 performance, resulting in a 34-31 halftime deficit.

The third quarter marked a dramatic shift. La Familia channeled the defensive intensity reminiscent of their glory days at Rupp Arena, outscoring their Georgia opponents 31-16 and setting the stage for an 81-64 victory in the round of 32 of The Basketball Tournament.

“If we didn’t match their energy, we would have remained in the same position as the first half,” Ulis explained. “But they came out in the second half, did what needed to be done, and won the game.”

Nate Sestina admitted to his role in the team’s slow start.

“I’m guilty of it, for sure: just not getting 50-50 balls, not securing offensive rebounds, trying to leak out and get points,” Sestina acknowledged. “We regrouped at halftime, discussed it, and sorted things out.”

Kanter’s performance was pivotal. Following a double-double (21 points and 12 rebounds) in Friday’s opening round victory over 305 Ballers, he continued to dominate on Sunday. The 6-foot-9 forward led all scorers with 26 points on 83.3% shooting (10 for 12), including two successful 3-pointers. His final points, a three-pointer, sealed the game and sent The Nawf back to Georgia with a loss. Kanter also grabbed nine rebounds, matching teammate Eric Bledsoe for the game high.

“I’m grateful they accepted me as a teammate and a brother,” Kanter said. “Even though I didn’t go to Kentucky, I wanted to be aggressive. The last two games, we had a size advantage, and we capitalized on it.”

Averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds over two TBT games didn’t surprise Kanter.

“This tournament reminds me of March Madness, and we’ve all had great success in that tournament,” he reflected. “Them with Kentucky, me with Xavier.”

While Kanter dominated inside, Sestina excelled from the perimeter, hitting four of his eight 3-point attempts.

“From Tyler all the way to the guys on the end of the bench cheering you on, the hoop starts to get a little bigger,” said Sestina, who finished with 15 points. “Then the crowd gets going. Rupp Arena is infectious. As soon as you hit one, they start cheering, and you start feeling great. Then it’s just second nature, like breathing. I had to get all those misses out in the first game, figure it out, and hopefully carry it over into Tuesday.”

Tuesday’s game is the Lexington Regional final, where La Familia will face Herd That, a 63-59 winner over War Ready. The round of 16 game between La Familia and Herd That will tip off at 9 p.m. at Rupp Arena.

With so much at stake, Ulis is confident his team will be prepared from the opening tip.

“These guys are professionals,” he said. “They didn’t come here to waste their time. We’re all taking time out of our schedules to be here for weeks. We understand the goal at hand.”

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