Dial 905: Raptors 905 vs Capital City Go-Go Recap + Ulrich Chomche’s Growing Pains

The Raptors 905 could not stop the Capital City Go-Go in the 4th, getting swept in their two-game mini-series. Also, Ulrich Chomche’s growing pains.

The Raptors 905 are coming home with a four-game losing streak after an exciting two-game series against the Capital City Go-Go. The Raptors 905 dropped the first game of their series, 113-131, and failed to exact revenge after a couple of days, getting swept after a 109-119 loss.

The Go-Go exploited the Raptors 905’s lack of size up front, with the OKC Thunder picking up Branden Carlson and Quincy Guerrier reppin’ the flag for the FIBA Qualifiers. The Raptors 905 got outrebounded by 21 boards per game in this series. Help could be on the way, as the Raptors 905 picked up NBA G League vet and local kid Eugene Omuruyi.

Charlie Brown Jr. improved upon his College Park Skyhawks performance, leading the team in scoring at 22.5 points while hitting 4.5 trifectas on 42.9% three-point shooting. He’s been a monster in the passing lanes, picking up five steals per game and adding two blocks per game. Brown Jr.’s turnover rate is high at 4 per contest in this series. However, some were careless turnovers that can be easily fixed, partly with him still looking like he’s getting into his rhythm.

Evan Gilyard was the breakout player of this series, averaging 22 points and seven dimes off the bench. He’s also making four trifectas on a whopping 47.1% shooting. Kennedy Chandler’s performance dipped in this series, averaging only 13.5 points on 38% shooting. He did manage to add six helpers per game and pick up 3.5 steals each contest.

The Raptors 905 were in a position to come home with a split or even a sweep if not for their disastrous fourth-quarter performances in both games. They allowed the Go-Go to score 38.5 points in the fourth for this series, nearly seven points higher than the highest-scoring team in the fourth this season (Salt Lake City Stars—31.6 points). On the flipside, the 905ers only managed to put up 25 points (-13.5 points difference) while shooting a dismal 35.6% from the field.

Ulrich’s Growing Pains

Ulrich Chomche was the biggest story of this series. The raw and yet oozing-with-potential 18-year-old big man had a rocky series. He was a complete non-factor on their first game, as he laboured through foul trouble for the most part. Surprisingly, he managed to log 14 minutes for that game, as it felt like he would get in foul trouble 2-3 minutes into his shift. It’s a big ask for the kid who’s still learning basketball, and he looked jittery, and even more out of position out there. We’ll have to chalk it up to nerves, but for this game, he was clearly “two years away from being two years away.”

Chomche had a bounce-back game on the second game of their series. While he started timidly — he was probably overly cautious not to get into foul trouble to start the game. Still, when he got into the game, he was contesting or blocking shots left and right. What’s more impressive is Chomche managed to get most of his points from either second-chance points or presenting himself as an outlet for a distressed teammate looking to pass the ball. He displayed a soft touch with his baby hook that would make Serge Ibaka proud. Sadly, we didn’t get to see Chomche in more than a handful PnR actions, but expect to see more of that soon.

Game #4 Final Score: Raptors 905 113, Capital City Go-Go 131

Assignee(s)

Raptors 905: Ulrich Chomche (2W)

Capital City Go-Go: Justin Champagnie (2W)

Starters

Raptors 905: Tyreke Key, Kennedy Chandler, Charlie Brown Jr., Quincy Guerrier, Ulrich Chomche (2W)

Capital City Go-Go: Ruben Nembhard Jr., Justin Champagnie (2W), Mo Gueye, John Butler Jr., Taylor Funk

The Raptors 905’s trip to the capital did not go so well, as the Raptors 905 hit the wall in the fourth period. They watched the Capital City Go-Go put the game away with a 28-10 run to close the game.

Evan Gilyard erupted for 30 points off the bench for Raptors 905, hitting five trifectas in the process. He also dished out six dimes in his first extended minutes run. Charlie Brown Jr. added 17 points, including three three-pointers. Kennedy Chandler was subdued for the most part, as he was held to 11 points but managed to dish out seven dimes.

Go-Go’s Ruben Nembhard Jr. had a nearly triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 boards, and nine dimes. Michael Foster Jr. contributed 22 points and 12 boards off the bench, while Justin Champagnie chipped in 21 points, eight boards, four dimes, and three blocks.

The Raptors 905 had six players in double figures, which is a healthy number, but they allowed the Go-Gos to have six players to score at least 15 points. They also failed to capitalize on their success in making the Go-Gos turn the ball over, with the Go-Go scoring three more points off turnovers despite having eight more turnovers than the Raptors 905.

The story of the game is Ulrich Chomche’s struggle staying on the floor, as the 18-year-old rookie was hampered with foul trouble the entire game, allowing the bigger and longer Go-Gos to capitalize in rebounds (+22) and second-chance points (+14) Despite that, the Raptors had a chance to steal this game, as Gilyard powered the Raptors through, tying the game at 83 points late in the third. Unfortunately, the Raptors 905 could not hang with the hosts when they shifted gears in the fourth, blowing up the Raptors 905 in the quarter to put the game away.

Game #5 Final Score: Raptors 905 109, Capital City Go-Go 119

Assignee(s)

Raptors 905: Ulrich Chomche (2W)

AD

Capital City Go-Go: N/A

Starters

Raptors 905: Tyreke Key, Dylan Disu, Kennedy Chandler, Charlie Brown Jr., Ulrich Chomche (2W)

Capital City Go-Go: Ruben Nembhard Jr., Justin Champagnie (2W), Mo Gueye, John Butler Jr., Taylor Funk

Raptors 905 ran out of gas and could not retake the lead late in the game. An early 16-point lead is not safe even at the NBA G League level, but having the lead for most of the game was not enough, as they fell to their fourth straight loss and their second at the hands of the Capital City Go-Go, 109-119.

Raptors 905’s Charlie Brown Jr. finally “arrived,” putting up a monster two-way game of 28 points, nine steals, and two blocked shots. He also dropped six three-pointers in the process. Ulrich Chomche had a bounce-back game, posting career highs in points (16) and blocks (6). He also grabbed seven boards. Evan Gilyard continued to provide a spark off the bench, helping the team with his 14 points and seven dimes.

Go-Go’s Erik Stevenson led the home team in scoring, dropping 24 points and five dimes off the bench. Ruben Nembhard Jr. came up big in the fourth for the Go-Go to finish with 22 points, seven dimes, and eight boards. Raptors “old friend” Justin Champagnie had a decent night with 18 points, seven boards, and three blocks, including a dagger corner three to seal the Go-Go’s comeback late in the game.

The Raptors 905 started on fire from the perimeter, shooting 7-for-10 from the perimeter, but shot 11-38 since. The Go-Gos took advantage of the visitors’ lack of size, having a sizeable rebounding advantage (51 vs 31), which led to 24-11 points in the paint advantage and a +10 advantage in the paint, including the pivotal stretch in the fourth where coach Drew Jones played three point guards under 6’2” without Chomche on the floor. Despite that, it was a very winnable game for the Raptors 905, who had a +17 possession advantage. They also failed to capitalize on generating points off turnovers, as the Go-Gos even scored two more points despite the Go-Gos committing 11 more turnovers.

The 905ers made it rain from the perimeter early, starting the game with a 17-4 lead. However, sloppy plays late in the quarter allowed the Go-Go to prevent the visitors from blowing up the game, with the Raptors 905 escaping with a 35-26 lead after the first period. John Butler Jr. and the Go-Gos clawed back, taking a 46-45 lead midway through the 2nd quarter off Michael Foster Jr.’s trifecta, but Brown Jr. kept the Raptors 905 afloat with his 10 points in the quarter, giving the Raptors 905 a 59-58 lead at the half.

The Raptors 905 held their serve in the third period despite their going cold from the perimeter, shooting 3-for-13 in the third frame. Fortunately, they forced the Go-Gos into coughing up the ball 11 times. Still, Go-Go’s Erik Stevenson heated up to keep the visitors at bay. It looked like the Raptors 905 could hold on to a win early in the fourth, holding an 89-83 lead with ten minutes to go. However, the Go-Gos stepped on the gas since then, exacerbated by Chomche’s trip to the bench for some rest in the middle of a Go-Go 17-6 run. Mo Gueye, Nembhard Jr., and Champagnie got to the basket at will without Chomche. His return couldn’t stop the Go-Gos that found their rhythm, as Nembhard Jr. and Champagnie hit dagger trifectas to pull away, while the Raptors 905’s offense faltered at the same time.

The road-weary Raptors 905 will bring their four-game losing streak home to make their home opener at Paramount Fine Foods Centre.