I will always believe that one
of the hardest things in the world to do is to play a consolation
game.
When you have given everything you have in an effort to play in the
Championship
game, suffered a painful loss, and are then asked to come back less
than
24 hours later for a game that is nearly meaningless, you're asking a
great
deal of 7-8 Grade girls. Still, our team insisted that they would
rise to the challenge, and in a positive tribute to their character,
rise
they did. Though it certainly wasn't pretty, our girls kept a
varied
and intense defensive pressure on Williamstown that limited the
'jackets
to only two field goals through the first three quarters. In
spite
of that, we shot poorly and struggled to score as well, but led 10-2
after
the First, and 12-2 at Half. Once again, poor foul shooting kept
us from slamming the door early enough, but we still managed to hold on
tightly, with the kind of character we expect from our girls.
Taylor
led all scorers again (fitting for the leading scorer in the County)
with
14 points, including a key 3 in the Third. Teresa hit two major
outside
shots in the First, and finished with 6 points, and Andrea contributed
the other 3. The gritty effort earned praise from County Athletic
Coordinator Fred Bartimoccia, and gained Taylor and Teresa spots on the
All-Tournament team. All things considered, it was good for this
team to finish their season on a winning note, something only Edison
could
also say. It was a fun group to work with, and quite challenging
as well. Their final 11-5 record ranks as the 4th best in
Catholic
Jr. High history, and the 3rd Place trophy sits proudly on my
bookshelf.
We had to wait out an entire week of snow
to finally play the game we had been aiming for all season. We
knew
we were good enough to compete with the Bobcats, but we had had two
poor
offensive performances against them. The team has been getting
better
each time out, and we felt that we were peaking at the right
time.
The tension was palpable, and both teams played edgy, but the Bobcats
had
better luck (one trey you just wouldn't believe if I described
it
to you), so we trailed 5-10 at the end of the First Quarter. Our
defense stiffened in the Second, and our Offense bounced back a little,
as Teresa hit a key basket, then Taylor nailed a deuce and trey in the
last minute. We crept closer in the Third, and our pressure at
both
ends was beginning to pay dividends, as the Bobcats got into foul
trouble.
With a tie game as we headed into the Fourth, our foul shooting
deserted
us (though 4 of 9 doesn't sound as bad now as it looked
then),
and Blenny got a put-back basket at the buzzer to win by 2. It
was
a bitter loss to take, but our girls gave a marvelous effort.
Taylor
led all scorers with 19, while Teresa had 4, Lauren made 3 (all in the
4th Quarter crunch), Jamie and Andrea each had 2, and Lindsay added 1.
The first round of any tournament
always seems to be pretty nervewracking, and our girls started out
slowly.
Having seen enough sluggishness in the first few minutes, we went to
our
full-court press, and tore the game open. Taylor had 11 points in
the First, as we stole the ball numerous times. The onslaught
continued
into the Second, as Teresa came alive with 6 points, and Taylor tacked
on 7 more, while Andrea knocked in 2 baskets. The rest of the
game
was spent working on several fundamentals, and trying to get scores for
all our girls. Good team spirit was shown by all the players, as
we ended the game with a great many positive feelings. Taylor had
a game-high 27 points, while Teresa had another good outing, banging in
7 points from a variety of areas. Andrea had 4, and Lindsay,
Lauren,
and Jamie each had 2.
Our improvement continued, as our girls raced
out to a 13-2 First Quarter lead, and never looked back. Teresa
decided
to play her very best offensive game on this day, and became the only
player
other than Taylor to have a double-figure day this season. In a
marvelous
exhibition of defense and team play, the girls ran Jackson ragged, and
held a 23-7 lead at the Half. Four different girls scored in the
First Quarter, and 6 girls socred in the Third, to keep widening the
lead
until the end. Taylor led all scorers with 14, and Teresa was the
game's second-leading scorer, with 12. Lauren swooshed in 6
points,
and Andrea hit one foul shot, while 5 other girls each hit one basket:
Katie, Leighton, Lindsay, Megan, and Jamie. A good time was had
by
all, as we tuned up for the Tournament.
In a fabulous example of rebounding from
adversity, our team corrected every emotional error they made on Monday
to put on a marvelous display of effort, hard work, and hustle, and
gave
Edison a game they shouldn't forget for awhile. Aggressive
defense
and crisp, balanced offense kept us in the ballgame for a long time,
and
kept Edison on their heels. In the end, we proved not to be quite
up to the upset, but the girls left the game feeling very good about
themselves
and their team. Taylor had 22 points, and distributed the ball
nicely,
as our offense ran as well as it has all season. Lindsay chipped
in 4, as did Lauren, Jamie hit two foul shots, and Teresa made
one.
We kept the game in doubt during a wild (though even) Fourth Quarter,
and
ended exhausted but pleased.
Our poorest Offensive output
in years offset an excellent defensive effort, and doomed us to another
loss. While holding the Bobcats scoreless in the First, we could
only manage one Field Goal, and a lapse late in the Second allowed them
to tie the score at 7 by Halftime. Still, we were confident that
we could pull out of our Offensive doldrums in the second half.
Taylor
hit a trey early in the Quarter to put us up 10-7, but we suffered a
breakdown
in mid-quarter, and Blenn. scored the final 10 points of the
Third.
From there we could manage only foul shots (and not many of them) as
the
game ended with a flurry of effort that yielded few positive
results.
Taylor's 9 were tied for game-high, but Lindsay's First Quarter basket
and Jamie's deuce in the Second were our only other scores.
Getting back to winning ways
was important, and our girls did that with a bang. A couple
spurts
of defensive pressure provided all the impetus we needed to get
rolling.
We jumped out to a 7-0 lead before giving some of the lead away near
the
end of the First. Our pressure D did the trick in the Second,
though,
as we outscored Vandy 10-2 to lead at Halftime by 19-7. Though we
made
a number of changes in the 3rd, our intensity and effort remained at a
high level, and we outscored the Blue Devils 10-0 in the Period.
After that it was wild, but everyone got to play, and everyone did
something
to contribute to the victory. Taylor led the way with 14 points,
but we got widespread scoring as usual. Andrea had 6 points,
Teresa
5, Lauren 4, Lindsay 2, and Megan had 2.
The game was postponed due to
inclement weather. It is rescheduled for Feb. 8
Virtually none of our usual
characteristics were in evidence on this particular day, with the
possible
exception of our foul shooting, which returned to something like its
true
form. (11-18) I know many of you alumni will say, "I always hated
playing AT Blennerhassett", so maybe the gym had something to
do
with the outcome, but the honest truth is that if we play like this,
the
place won't matter too much. After struggling through a First
Half
in which Lindsay's two Field Goals were our only ones (though we were
7-8 from the line at that point), our Halftime determination dissolved
when we gave up 10 quick points in the Third. Taylor still
managed
to end up as the game's high scorer, with 10 points, and we had 5
different
girls making up the other 10. Lindsay had 4, Lauren and Rachel 2
each, and Kate & Andrea each got 1. Now we'll see how
resilient
we are.
Once again, intense pressure
defense led to an early lead and lots of later experimentation.
Trailing
0-2 after nearly two full minutes, the girls tied the game on Andrea
Tracewell's
short jumper, then jumped into a full-court press that yielded numerous
steals, frequent good shots, and plenty of scoring. Taylor scored
11 points in the Quarter and drew three fouls, while disrupting
Hamilton's
flow entirely. By the time the dust settled, we had opened an
11-point
lead (17-6) that held until game's end. Nine different girls
scored
in the game, showing our depth and balance. Taylor led all
scorers
with 21 points, but our variety was amazing. Lindsay, Andrea, and
Megan each tallied 4 points, while Katie, Leighton, Kayla, and Lauren
each
chipped in a bucket apiece. Jamie hit two foul shots for her two
points, to close out the scoring.
Our second go-round with
Belpre
worked out pretty well, as we opened up an early lead then worked on a
variety of team continuity issues. Taylor hit for 7 points in the
First Quarter, as our defense gave the Eagles fits, then we expanded
our
lead to 16 at the Half. Taylor had 8 more in the 3rd to finish
with
a game-high 15, but the flow gave us plenty of opportunity to try a
variety
of lineup changes, and present opportunities. Lindsay, Megan, and
Jamie each scored 4 points, Teresa tallied 3, and Andrea, Leighton, and
Rachel each put in a basket. Rachel's was her first of the year.
Our girls took their first
tumble today, falling to an athletic and well-prepared Edison
team.
The first few minutes of the game went very well, with our girls behind
only 6-8 midway through the First. We were shooting well, and
playing
sufficient defense to keep Edison somewhat off-balance. Suddenly,
our shooting went a little off, and our passes were intercepted
frequently,
and we trailed 8-20 at the end of the Quarter. The deficit
increased
by 10 in the Second, and we played the rest of the way for pride.
Our girls requited themselves well in the Second Half, working hard as
a team to elevate their game. Taylor led the team with 8 points,
Megan scored 6, and Lindsay tallied 4. Kayla, Andrea, Lauren, and
Teresa each added a basket, with Kayla getting her first points of the
season.
Despite an exquisitely
horrendous
offensive performance, our girls still managed to outlast a feisty
Yellowjacket
team. Our girls were 0 from the floor for the First Quarter, but
trailed only 2-4 thanks to Teresa's two foul shots. Megan canned
two long-range jumpers, and Taylor scored her first 5 points in the
Second
Quarter as we opened an 11-6 lead that was still pretty gruesome.
We gave one point of that lead back in the Third, as Megan's 3-Point
play
and Jamie's two foul shots were all we could muster, but our defensive
intensity was beginning to have its desired effect, as we got a number
of steals that led to easy baskets and several fouls. Taylor was
the game's high scorer with 12, but Megan had a career-high of 7,
Teresa
contributed 5, Jamie 2, and Leighton Roush hit her first "varsity"
bucket
of the year.
Our girls extended their
record to 4-0 by defeating Belpre 42-25. Intense defense kept
Belpre
off-balance the entire game, forcing them to make many mistakes that
resulted
in our victory. Though there were several times when our effort
or
understanding of the game were definitely questionable, the girls
pulled
together and did what they needed to to win. The strategy was
complicated
by the fact that we were playing in the tiny Middle School gym (with
its
slick tile floor) and that we were trying to play two games in one day,
with the second coming against their 7th Grade team. Taylor
Phillips
outscored the entire Eagle team by hitting a career-high 28 points, but
Lauren Fasching (8) and Teresa Tokodi (6) also set their career-high
scores
to make for a pretty easy win. The 7th Grade team lost to
Belpre's
23-36, but did a great job proving that they know how to play
basketball.
In an excellent display of teamwork, our defense not only kept Belpre
inconsistent,
but opened up scoring opportunities for everyone on the team.
Kayla
Perkinson led the way with 10 points, while Andrea Tracewell scored
8.
Kate Esbenshade and Leighton Roush each had a field goal, and Teresa
chipped
in one foul shot.
In an all-out effort to test their coach's nerves
and heart strength, the girls pushed their record to 3-0 on the season
by being tough in the last few minutes of an exciting victory.
For
the third time, the girls raced out to an early lead on the strength of
their defense, but then allowed Jackson to whittle it down to a 17-15
advantage
at Halftime. Having a poor shooting day, and not playing with
their
usual discipline, our team was also hampered by foul trouble.
Still,
they persisted, and refused to panic when Jackson took a 23-25 lead in
the Fourth. The intense defensive pressure our girls put on the
Generals
forced numerous turnovers down the stretch, our girls reestablished
their
lead, and then held on for the victory. Taylor had 22 of our
points,
with Megan also hitting a Field Goal. Andrea, pressed into a
starting
slot due to Lindsay's illness, made two important foul shots, and
Teresa
hit a vital foul shot to close out the scoring.
Moving to 2-0, the Jr. Crusaderettes once again
raced out to an early lead, giving everybody a chance to show their
skills.
Taylor was unstoppable in the first quarter, hitting 6 deuces, knocking
down a foul shot, and canning a trey near the buzzer to help our girls
open a 20-5 lead after the first 6 minutes. Five different girls
scored in the second, before all the scoring dropped off as different
combinations
tried to work on their team skills. Taylor finished with 23, and
Lauren came through with 6 well-timed points. Katie Borrelli hit
a bucket and a foul shot, and Megan, Jamie Abdella, and Teresa Tokodi
each
cashed a hoop in the contest.
The season began with a bang,
as intense defense and varied offense carried the Jr. Crusaderettes to
their first win of the new season. Led by Taylor Phillips' steals
and lay-ins, our girls ran out to a 12-0 lead before Hamilton scored
near
the end of the period. Things got little better for the Wildcats
in the second, as Taylor canned 4 more deuces, and newcomer Andrea
Tracewell
knocked down 3 foul shots and a basket, while our defense held Hamilton
to 5 total. Our bench emptied in the second half, creating a
variety
of interesting situations, including a nice driving lay-in by Kate
Esbenshade.
Taylor finished with 18 points, while Andrea added 9, and sharpshooter
Lindsay Padden tallied 8. In addition to Kate, Lauren Fasching
and
Megan Rieser also scored a basket.