I got what I wanted to see today. I mentioned in another thread that I wanted to see how this group reacted to adversity. Well, in the second quarter they def received some adversity. Drake took them behind the woodshed and just throttled them to the tune of 22-4 after being knotted at 16 after 1. Many folks on the boards were full of angst and fear of how bad this team was going to be. I knew I had to wait and see what happened at half time. This is where coaching and determination come in to play. I wasn't disappointed.
In the first half we saw some good stuff from Crooks as she looked tough to stop underneath. The challenge was getting her the ball. The guard court disappeared in the second quarter and couldn't buy a shot when they even got a modicum of room to get a shot off. Drake was on fire and their defensive pressure amped up. On every rebound it seemed we got finger tips on the ball only to watch it go out of bounds. Just frustrating to say the least as Drake steadily pulled away. The sole remaining fear was the three point string would also end as the ladies had gone 0-6 in the first half. Some would say this thing was over...but it wasn't.
The third quarter showed us a very different team. One that put their work hats on and came out to prove something. The shots fell. Rebounds were grabbed. Flow entered the offensive scheme. Drake was feeling tons of pressure as the sisters closed the gap from that 18 point half time deficit until they game was not only tied, but the Sisters briefly grabbed the lead. Sadly, Drake is too experienced to fold under that pressure and they started answering back. The fourth saw the ladies shooting cool off and Drake hit some major 3 point shots to edge out in front...a lead they would never relinquish. In the end the score was bigger than what the game actually was with Drake winning 85-73.
Observations
The upperclassmen were hot and cold. Diew only shot 25% on 12 shots and was ice cold from outside. Her lack of physicality also showed up throughout the game as Drake outmuscled her on several occasions. Natabou pulled down six boards, but was hardly an offensive threat throughout the game.
Enter the force...Audi Crooks. What a game she had. She moved gracefully, put up shots strongly and pretty much had her way under the hoop. She ended up with 23 points, but only 3 boards. Why? Right now she "can't" jump. Standing used to get her boards, now, quicker players move around her and out hustle her to boards. Room for improvement, but offensively she was a force.
The guards. The first half was nothing to write home about, but the second was something else. Belanger couldn't find the hoop in the first half, but ended up with 11 points and made 3 treys in the second half. Some sweet shots. Joens was held to six points all in the second half on two treys. The rest of the guard court didn't contribute offensively. This has to change to win games like this.
The forwards. If there are some ladies that really battle on the court you have to mention Bristow and Brown. Both scored 8 points, had 5 boards, and had a block apiece. Brown fouled out as she has a tendency to swipe at things. They never took their foot off the gas throughout the game, but the defense has to improve and turnovers (8 total) need to go down.
So, what did I see? I saw true grit. Many young teams could have given up, but this one battled all the way back and made this a game. The team faded late in the fourth, but that might be explained by the effort expended to make that comeback. Get some scoring help from the guard court and this might have been a different game. One thing these ladies did was confirm one thing I've been thinking...these top rated players have game.
cyclonefanatic.com
