WINGS UP!!
December 1
And from swans to Cardinals . . .
The game . . .
[Buoyed by the success of the fall-featured football team, our winter teams take to the courts and ice rinks full of optimism and energy. We began the home season with the Cardinal girls roundballers hosting the Rocori Spartans. Always looking to the future we try to check in with the JV team. Here junior guard Taylor Partington (5) and sophomore Matie Wirtjes (21) played a little catch out front while sophomore center Emily Jones (45) kept a close eye on the free throw line.]
[Junior forward Emily Aker (31) joined the fray on the far side.]
[It’s a fumble!! The JV, ala the varsity, seeks to create havoc with its defense. Here freshman Ella Grove (51) and junior Francesca Palmer (43) buzz the Spartans.]
[That action completed, sprint to the other end!]
[Junior Flora Kvale (11) hounded the Rocori dribbler. I know when I’m hounded, I tend to dribble.]
[Flora kept pace as the ball moved into our back court.]
[Ms. Grove stepped to the line. Based on observations of first impression, she’s going to be a player.]
[And here she attempted a drive into the middle.]
[While the varsity took to the court for warm-ups . . . ]
[I reeled in the final scoreboard for the JV game. Well done, ladies!]
[The varsity has high expectations. Many seniors back from teams that just barely lost the section final the last two years. We are preseason No. 2 in the state Class AAA rankings.]
[It’s a good thing everybody warms-up . . . because everybody plays! Substitutions are made on the fly, like a hockey game! 😉 ]
[OK, everybody line up!]
[And introducing senior Emma Ziegler (1) . . . ]
[And senior Kendall Kohler (3) . . . ]
[And senior Macy Hatlestad (11) . . . ]
[And junior Emma Schmidt (25) . . . ]
[And senior Kayla Feldhake (43).]
[And Kayla gets the tap.]
[Schmidty demonstrated proper block out procedures on a shooter.]
[Pardon me. Is this not the tango class?]
[Guess not, huh?]
[Kayla takes center stage.]
[Kendall and Schmidty press the inbounds.]
[Kendall was “3”-on-“3” with the Spartan point guard all night.]
[Ziegy head manned as sophomore McKenzie Duwenhoegger (35) hustled up court.]
[I told friend Brad Macy’s first free was off by a tad – it rattled the rim a couple times before it dropped. The second one was pure swish.]
[Senior Kelby Olson-Rodel (13) joined Kendall in the full court press.]
[And again – it’s no fun trying to bring the ball up court against them.]
[Macy joined the swarm!]
[Then Ziegy and Emma – we have so many player athletic enough to play this defense.]
[And ole automatic back at the line again. She did miss one in this game – an audible gasp arose from the crowd?]
[Kayla up top with junior Courtney Gould (31).]
[Yes, Kendall has launched 3’s from there.]
[Well hellooooooooo, Macy!!]
[Senior Kiyana Miller (21) had a strong game. When she’s on the floor with Kelby, they’re the “Whippets,” and with Kendall added they’re, “The Special K’s.”]
[The ref directing the background choreography?]
[Kelby at the line.]
[They closed the gap a bit at the half – I believe we led 32 – 4 at one time.]
[With the guards doing the brunt of the scoring in the first, it appeared the idea in the 2nd half was to get the ball inside to Kayla. For the sake of balance, Kayla can, and should be, a double digit scorer.]
[The paired guards, in their 4th and last year together.]
[Well, I’m thinking a Blizzard after the game, with those crunchy colored candy things in it.]
[I got it!]
[At 5’11,” Schmidty is a tough defender at the top of the D.]
[Macy and Schmidty move in for a double.]
[Where’d it go?]
[Everybody played, all 16 – the starters did not see the floor for most of the 2nd half.]
[Senior Kara Thomson (23) may be our best pure shooter.]
[And Kiyana finishing up.]
[It really wasn’t that close. I told Brad at the half (we had 44) we wouldn’t hit 70 – you call off the dogs and everybody gets playing time. Good start to the year – and girls hockey, and boys basketball and hockey, have been exceeding expectations so far!]
Any time Detroit scores more than 100 points and holds the other team below 100 points, they almost always win. ~ Doug Collins
Up Next: Some more stuff.
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