Well, as I mentioned last night, after such a physical battle with Mount Mary in Milwaukee, I was concerned with what we would have in the tank 13 hours later when we tipped against #9 Moody in Chicago. We actually started the game well, hitting our first two shots. But we had some mental lapses on defense and went very cold from the perimeter and free throw line. I think we scored two points the final five minutes of the first half, went 1 of 10 from the charity stripe, and surrendered 13 offensive rebounds to a very large Moody frontline (6'4", 6'2", 6') to enter halftime down by 13.
In my heart, I knew we were better than we had played and could come out and turn it around quickly as we did the night before. On the other hand I think I know this team well enough now to admit I felt we were close to empty at halftime. It reminded me a little of the regional final last year when we played 130 minutes in 42 hours. In that game I didn't want a halftime because we were on adrenaline, and the break totally drained us. Today, I didn't want the halftime to end because I sensed we were exhausted.
The 2nd half started with Moody going on a run to extend the lead to 20, and I began realizing my fears. But sure enough, we went on a 9-0 run to claw back to an 11-point deficit with 12 minutes left - and that's when we hit the wall. Jenna and Ellie, who had each played 40 minutes the night before, asked out of the game for a break. We mixed and matched our lineups the final eight minutes, and Moody never let up building their lead to a final score of 74-43.
Let me say this - Moody is good. I came into the season believing they would be the team to beat in the Midwest region. We were fortunate enough to beat them twice last year, including in double overtime in the regional semi-final, But the addition of some very good freshman guards to their frontline will make them tough to beat in the region. With that being said, they're not 31 points better than us. We hope to play them again in the regional tournament.
Afterwards, we spent a few hours in downtown Chicago, including dinner at Giordano's pizza! It was also nice having Jenna and Hannah's parents with us, as well as Abbey. I'm presently in Green Bay preparing to fly out to speak at a Spiritual Emphasis Week at Hanalani Chirstian School in Oahu, HI. Please pray for me as you think about it. The girls will begin classes on Tuesday, and practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday before returning to the court in a week against Gogebic College. Lord-willing, I'll be there in time for the game after flying all night!
Thanks for reading!
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