A winning start

I knew we would have our hands full in our opener last night with Wayne. They have some talented players, speed, size, and good veteran coaching. I figured the game would be fast-paced (we like that) with both teams making runs at the other. I did not think either team would be able to run away and hide, for a couple reasons. First, I thought that the matchups would not favor one team over the other. I was concerned about their big girl in the middle and we had to adjust all night long to take her away as their number one option. On the other hand, Wayne loves to press teams and they didn't even try last night because we have ballhandlers -- good to great -- at every position. Mix in the uncertainty of opening night basketball, and you have all the right conditions for a back and forth contest.

I was very pleased with our effort. We outrebounded a bigger team (44-37), had fewer turnovers (13 to 25), and shot several more free throws (23 to 5). All of these statistics support the notion that we outworked our opponent in several measurable areas. The one thing we did not do was shoot the ball well, particularly from three-point range. 3-28 is a nightmare, yet we were able to overcome it with tenacious offensive rebounding and second chance points. We have some very good shooters and I don't believe I am being overconfident when I say we will have much better shooting nights as the season progresses.

The most important part of the evening was that we found a way to win. In the preliminary game, our JV kids really sucked it up and held on against a physically aggressive opponent. I was very proud of their performance. Likewise, in the varsity game, we did what we needed to do to manufacture a win when a loss was certainly possible. Down the stretch, we made some adjustments and the kids made some plays and that was the difference. Even though we are young - just one senior - these girls are veteran ballplayers and they are going to get the job done. We have some stiff competition coming up in the next few weeks. I am anxious to see how we will improve and what sorts of accomplishments these girls can have.

I'll let you know how it goes...