SG Basketball: Defensive Strides

 

Once the game started, I immediately noticed something different about our defense, it was the first time we’d looked THAT fast and THAT disruptive. For this type of defense to work, you need all five on the floor buying into the intensity at the same time, and that’s what we had. Camryn and Melissa were uber-aggressive on the wings, Hayley was a rock in the middle, Maddie was a vacuum on the defensive boards – Spiderman hands, I tell ya! – and Player Of The Game Valerie Lin was an animal at the top, deflecting and challenging any basketball or player that dared enter her territory. Val also nailed the first 3-pointer of her life, so quite the day – it was Lin-sanity out there!

 

Back to the defense, I figure it was so active that we created over 15 steals and allowed no more than 20 pts once we were set. Add to that the contributions and vocal support from the bench – the best I’ve seen and heard this season – and you’d think that we won this game.

 

But we didn’t. We lost 38-23. For one reason, and one reason only, Salesien sells out on a 1-3-1 full court trap. Not only did we not make them pay for it, we turned the ball over time and time again, which kept us from starting our offense and led to easy points for them. And that’s on the coaching staff for 1) not being prepared for it, and 2) not adjusting well enough once we saw it. Poor performance by us coaches? Yes. Opportunity to learn and be better next time? Definitely. That’s why losses and mistakes are ultimately the best thing for a team; they make you analyze, learn, and improve. I look forward to the next time we play them. We will be much better prepared.

 

Which brings us to the Playcall Of The Night. Was it an inbounds play? A press-break? Nope. There is only one call it could be, i.e. Halle Khanna somehow manipulating the coaching staff into stopping for transcendent birthday McFlurries. Yep, you’re an adult now, Halle. 😊

 

Coaches Van Dyke & Wolfe