Biddy C

Since I didn't write a summary of our first game, I'm going to combine them and write one for the entire tournament. (Don't worry, the summaries won't always be this long!)

As I told you after the game today, you have SO much to proud of. Your parents and families have so much to be proud of, too. And your coaches are so proud of you. Talkin' about Eagle Pride here, folks.

For starters, we found ourselves behind at halftime of both games. Did we give up? I don't think so, not by a long shot! (sort of like Emma's long shot in game 1 :-) You fought back in both games, outscoring St. Ambrose 12 to 8 in the second half of the first game, and St. Augustine 13 to 6 in the second half of the second game. That showed your heart and determination, as well as your skill.

Many of you are brand new to the game, and yet we are running a pretty complicated offense very well. In both games you played tough defense, and stepped up the aggressiveness when we asked you to. 

Sure, we have some work to do. And we will. We're going to keep pushing to get better and better. Just when you think you've got it all down, we're going to challenge you to learn something new. Rebounding, passing, defense ... all areas that we need to work on.

But now is a time to focus on the positive.

I told you after the game that "game experience" is one more piece of the puzzle that we're building this season, but I want to add something to that. There is NO substitute for close game experience, and we had two exciting, tense, close games this weekend. When the fans are cheering a little bit louder, the other team is playing a little bit harder, and your coaches are yelling and jumping around like monkeys, it isn't easy to stay focused and do what you need to do. You handled yourselves with grace under pressure (and not just Grace :-) Now you know what it feels like. Next time we have a game like that, it won't be new to you. 

Well, I could go on and on, because there were so many highlites in those two games. This website isn't big enough for all the good things we saw out on the court this weekend.

Here are the stats for the 2 games (big thanks to master statistician, Mr. Downing):

Game 1 final score: St. Ambose 16, Bethlehem 14

Points: (alphabetically by last name)

Emma - 7

Sarah - 2

Lily - 2

Alex - 3

Rebound leaders: Sarah, Grace & Alex with 6 apiece

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Game 2 final score: Bethlehem 15, St. Augustine 12

Points:

Jordan - 2

Emma - 8

Lily - 3

Alex - 2

Rebound leader: Sarah - 7 

Steals leader: Sarah - 4

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Remember, you can't tell the story of any game with numbers alone. There are plays in every game that make a big difference, but that don't show up in the game stats. I'm going to say this once, and I'm going to say it in all caps, because it's that important: EVERY GIRL ON THE TEAM CONTRIBUTED TO OUR SUCCESS THIS WEEKEND. That includes Katie, who we missed terribly, but who has helped our team in practices since we started.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody. And, in between bites of turkey, pick up a basketball and do some ball-handling drills. In between football games, switch channels and watch some basketball. (Sorry, I call that "ABC"... Always Be Coaching.)

I don't know about you, but after what I saw this weekend, I can't wait to get back out on the court.

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(Thanks to Mr. Farbent for the photos...I'll gladly accept photo contributions from anyone who wants to send them)