The title may be a little misleading, because the way I see it there are no "easy" losses. I view this one as tough in light of having a real opportunity to compete and win, and falling short. You probably know by now that not having some players I was counting on in the preseason as well as some injuries have left us a little depleted. The girls have battled hard and given every ounce of effort in the games since losing Ellie and Sara, but effort and hard work are not enough.
We played a physical and aggressive Silver Lake team that always proves to be a good challenge. I honestly can't remember the last time we lost to them, but at the same time, only remember one comfortable win. We started slowly again, offensively and defensively, and could never recover. We trailed by as many as 15 in the first half, cut it to 7, but ended up trailing 27-16 at the break.
The second half started with a little more promise, but we hit a dry spell where the lead was pushed deep into double digits again. We were able to cut it to 6 with about four minutes remaining, but our starters were out of gas and unable to make needed shots down the stretch and we lost 59-46.
Kate led us in scoring again with 19, but we probably need to get her driving and dishing to get more girls involved in the offense. At the same time, she's doing what competitors do when faced with adversity, and trying to carry the team. Rebecca had a great game for us, and I'm looking for better and better things from her as the season progresses. She scored 14 and grabbed 16 rebounds while dishing 4 assists. These two freshman are a wonderful foundation to some good days ahead for the Lady Pioneers. Brooke struggled finding her shot, scoring 7, but had 5 assists to help the team. Overall we out-rebounded an opponent for the first time this year (36-33), but the shooting percentages have got to increase for us to have success. Our struggle at the FT line are also hindering us from being successful.
Again, when you realize that of the 9 healthy players we have on the roster, only 2 played last year, we're still in the "hello my name is" stage on the court at times. Repetition, court time, and trust will continue to weave this group into a team. I already love this group and their character. Having a great time teaching.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Trust.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Chicago Trip - a challenging weekend
One of the things we always enjoy is traveling together as a team. Chicago is one of our favorite cities, so we were excited when we had the opportunity to travel to Moody Bible Institute for three games in three days. The only disappointing thing is the timing - I have to miss the Northland High School Invitational Basketball Tournament and seeing so many basketball campers that were here to play this year. Congrats to the girls from Eagle Heights Christian School and Coach Kerri Barra for winning the championship. Wish we could have been here to see all of our friends from Camp play.
Our first game Thursday night was against the traditional power from the Eastern region, Philadelphia Biblical University. They are a well-coached team by my good friend Drew Watson. The game was extremely physical and a different style from our first game here against Andrews where we shot 37 free throws. Against PBU, despite the physical nature, we only shot 13 free throws. The game was back and forth for the first eight minutes, and then PBU stretched out to an seven-point lead that we trimmed to a 23-27 deficit at the half. We talked in the locker room about the need for coming out and setting the tempo the first five minutes of the second, but didn't follow through and saw PBU outscore us 11-2 in that span and never look back. We trimmed the lead to six with four minutes left, but could never get it closer, falling 58-47. Ellie led us in scoring with 19, and Kate added 12. Rebecca did a phenomenal job on the boards, collecting 12 rebounds. Overall though, it was the offensive rebounds and poor shooting that did us in.
On Friday afternoon we faced Lincoln Christian University. The team warmed up well and seemed excited to get on the floor. LCU scored on the first possession of the game. We pushed after the inbounds, found Ellie on the left wing, and she attacked the rim. She went down in a crowd with a knee injury and didn't return. Pray for her and her family as they get additional evaluations this week while home. It's always tough to see a teammate injured, especially your captain and best player. I had this experience last February with Ellie's sister, Lydia. You don't know how the girls will react. As in February, I was so encouraged with the heart and effort as the girls played hard, smart, and confident, sprinting to a 31-18 halftime lead, leading by as many as 27 in the second, and winning 61-43. It's difficult to single anyone out for their work because everyone rallied. Kate led us with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Miranda stepped up in a big way, shooting 7/8 from the field to score 14 points and made 9 steals. Brooke scored 11 points and had 5 steals. Becky led us with 7 rebounds. After the game we spent a couple of hours downtown Friday night enjoying the shopping and eating on Michigan Ave.
For a number of reasons we were not mentally prepared for Saturday's game against Emmaus Bible College. Ellie's injury, some team sickness, and Kate receiving word of a high school classmate passing away the day before left us very distracted. Emmaus proved to be more prepared than we were, jumping out early and leading 24-21 at half. We came out to begin the second half and pulled even in the first five minutes, and spent the next 6 or 8 minutes building a 10 point lead with 8 minutes left. It was during this stretch that Sara went down with a knee injury and had to be carried form the floor. Please pray for her and her family as well this week. I really think that was about as much as our girls could take, and Emmaus began executing well offensively, we rushed shots, and before we knew what happened we had dropped the game 53-50. I give all the credit to Justin Smith and his team. No team plays any harder than they do, and they reminded us that games are 40 minutes, not 32. Kate led us with 21 points and Brooke added 10. Rebecca grabbed 15 rebounds in the loss that dropped us to 1-3, and more importantly, 9 healthy players.
Because the Lord's ways are perfect, on Friday morning (prior to Ellie's injury) we studied about the admonition to live and play for something bigger than ourselves, not knowing when the ability will be taken from us. The spirit and teachability of this group is unmatched, and I pray the Lord will do His work in our lives as we go through this difficult first semester schedule while thinking about our injured teammates.
We play Silver Lake College on Tuesday night at 5:30. If you're in the area please come by. If not, I'm fairly certain it will be webcast live. Stay tuned to the Northland International University facebook page or twitter account (northlandyou) for webcasting instructions.
Thanks as always for praying for yes. We are excited to see what God is going to do with our team this season!
Our first game Thursday night was against the traditional power from the Eastern region, Philadelphia Biblical University. They are a well-coached team by my good friend Drew Watson. The game was extremely physical and a different style from our first game here against Andrews where we shot 37 free throws. Against PBU, despite the physical nature, we only shot 13 free throws. The game was back and forth for the first eight minutes, and then PBU stretched out to an seven-point lead that we trimmed to a 23-27 deficit at the half. We talked in the locker room about the need for coming out and setting the tempo the first five minutes of the second, but didn't follow through and saw PBU outscore us 11-2 in that span and never look back. We trimmed the lead to six with four minutes left, but could never get it closer, falling 58-47. Ellie led us in scoring with 19, and Kate added 12. Rebecca did a phenomenal job on the boards, collecting 12 rebounds. Overall though, it was the offensive rebounds and poor shooting that did us in.
On Friday afternoon we faced Lincoln Christian University. The team warmed up well and seemed excited to get on the floor. LCU scored on the first possession of the game. We pushed after the inbounds, found Ellie on the left wing, and she attacked the rim. She went down in a crowd with a knee injury and didn't return. Pray for her and her family as they get additional evaluations this week while home. It's always tough to see a teammate injured, especially your captain and best player. I had this experience last February with Ellie's sister, Lydia. You don't know how the girls will react. As in February, I was so encouraged with the heart and effort as the girls played hard, smart, and confident, sprinting to a 31-18 halftime lead, leading by as many as 27 in the second, and winning 61-43. It's difficult to single anyone out for their work because everyone rallied. Kate led us with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Miranda stepped up in a big way, shooting 7/8 from the field to score 14 points and made 9 steals. Brooke scored 11 points and had 5 steals. Becky led us with 7 rebounds. After the game we spent a couple of hours downtown Friday night enjoying the shopping and eating on Michigan Ave.
For a number of reasons we were not mentally prepared for Saturday's game against Emmaus Bible College. Ellie's injury, some team sickness, and Kate receiving word of a high school classmate passing away the day before left us very distracted. Emmaus proved to be more prepared than we were, jumping out early and leading 24-21 at half. We came out to begin the second half and pulled even in the first five minutes, and spent the next 6 or 8 minutes building a 10 point lead with 8 minutes left. It was during this stretch that Sara went down with a knee injury and had to be carried form the floor. Please pray for her and her family as well this week. I really think that was about as much as our girls could take, and Emmaus began executing well offensively, we rushed shots, and before we knew what happened we had dropped the game 53-50. I give all the credit to Justin Smith and his team. No team plays any harder than they do, and they reminded us that games are 40 minutes, not 32. Kate led us with 21 points and Brooke added 10. Rebecca grabbed 15 rebounds in the loss that dropped us to 1-3, and more importantly, 9 healthy players.
Because the Lord's ways are perfect, on Friday morning (prior to Ellie's injury) we studied about the admonition to live and play for something bigger than ourselves, not knowing when the ability will be taken from us. The spirit and teachability of this group is unmatched, and I pray the Lord will do His work in our lives as we go through this difficult first semester schedule while thinking about our injured teammates.
We play Silver Lake College on Tuesday night at 5:30. If you're in the area please come by. If not, I'm fairly certain it will be webcast live. Stay tuned to the Northland International University facebook page or twitter account (northlandyou) for webcasting instructions.
Thanks as always for praying for yes. We are excited to see what God is going to do with our team this season!
Monday, November 15, 2010
First game blues
We typically open the season on the road, traveling to some tournament or tip-off event. This year, for whatever reason, I scheduled this game with Andrews University (USCAA) to occur the week before our tip-off event at Moody. After watching us struggle a great deal in the first half, I remember why I like these games on the road :) We lost Saturday night 61-40 after trailing 33-16 at the half.
The truth is we have only had five full practices before Saturday night, and only 20 minutes of actual scrimmage time. So in a lot of ways Saturday was an extension of our practice season. This is to take nothing away from Andrews, as they were clearly the better team that night. However I think we improved so much from the first half to the second, that there is reason for everyone to believe we will have some fun days ahead.
But lest I sugar-coat it: it was not pretty at times. Surprisingly, we only turned the ball over 17 times for the game. Also, we were aggressive with the basketball, getting to the line 37 times! That is unheard of. The down side is we shot so poorly from everywhere, including the free throw line, that it made little difference in the outcome. The good news is that I know we have some quality shooters on this team that had poor shooting nights, and we will defend and rebound better. That comes with practice and work. We're definitely committed to that.
As many of you know, eight of our 11 players were playing volleyball or soccer as recent as 2 weeks ago. So many of them haven't picked up a basketball in over 5 or 6 months. Despite that, the effort was there and that's what gives everyone promise!
K-Mo and I already love this team and the effort. I think there is a lot of upside, and we will continue to work hard!
Trust.
The truth is we have only had five full practices before Saturday night, and only 20 minutes of actual scrimmage time. So in a lot of ways Saturday was an extension of our practice season. This is to take nothing away from Andrews, as they were clearly the better team that night. However I think we improved so much from the first half to the second, that there is reason for everyone to believe we will have some fun days ahead.
But lest I sugar-coat it: it was not pretty at times. Surprisingly, we only turned the ball over 17 times for the game. Also, we were aggressive with the basketball, getting to the line 37 times! That is unheard of. The down side is we shot so poorly from everywhere, including the free throw line, that it made little difference in the outcome. The good news is that I know we have some quality shooters on this team that had poor shooting nights, and we will defend and rebound better. That comes with practice and work. We're definitely committed to that.
As many of you know, eight of our 11 players were playing volleyball or soccer as recent as 2 weeks ago. So many of them haven't picked up a basketball in over 5 or 6 months. Despite that, the effort was there and that's what gives everyone promise!
K-Mo and I already love this team and the effort. I think there is a lot of upside, and we will continue to work hard!
Trust.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
2010-11 Schedule
Nov. 13 Andrews University [H] 5:30 PM
Nov. 18 Philadelphia Biblical University (at Moody) [N] 5:00PM
Nov. 19 Lincoln Christian University [N] 3:00 PM
Nov. 20 Emmaus Bible College [N] 12 Noon
Nov. 23 Silver Lake College [H] 5:30 PM
Nov. 30 UW-Marinette [H] 5:30 PM
Dec. 3 Grace Bible College [H] 6:00 PM
Jan. 11 at Mt. Mary College [A] 7:00 PM
Jan. 14 at Grace Bible College [A] 5:00 PM [Est]
Jan. 15 at Kuyper College [A] 1:00 PM [Est]
Jan. 18 at UW-Marinette [A] 5:30 PM
Jan. 21 at Andrews University (Berrien Springs, MI) [A] 2:00 PM[EST}
Jan. 22 at Moody Bible Institute [A] 1:00 PM
Jan. 28 Mt. Mary College [H] 5:30 PM
Jan. 29 at Silver Lake College [A] 1:00 PM
Jan. 31 Gogebic Community College [H] 5:30 PM
Feb. 4 at North Central University [A] 6:00 PM
Feb. 10 Finlandia University [H] 5:30 PM
Feb 12 at Gogebic Community College [A] 1:00 PM
Feb. 15 at Finlandia University [A] 5:30 PM (EST)
Feb. 18 North Central [H] 5:30 PM
Feb. 19 Faith Baptist [H] 2:00 PM
February 24-26 NCCAA Midwest Regional Tournament (A) TBA (EST)
(Lincoln Christian University– Lincoln, IL)
March 10-12 NCCAA National Basketball Tournament
Roster announced
2010 Lady Pioneer Basketball Team
32 Chelsea Behn
Height: 5’8”
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Sports Ministries
Life Verse: John 6:33
3 Brooke Byard
Height: 5’6”
Hometown: Hutchinson, KS
Major: Family & Women’s Ministries
Life Verse: James 1:2-4
23 Bethany Chatfield
Height: 5’6”
Hometown: Burt Lake, MI
Major: Family & Women’s Ministries
Life Verse: Psalm 143:8
25 Jenni Delorge
Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Charlotte, VT
Major: Elementary Education
Life Verse: Philippians 4:13; Psalm 18:30
15 Ellie Hodak
Height: 5’5”
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN
Major: English
Life Verse: Isaiah 26:3
33 Kate Matthai
Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Augusta, GA
Major: English Education
Life Verse: Philippians 1:20-21
14 Rebecca Newton
Height: 5’9”
Hometown: Canton, GA
Major: Camp Ministries
Life Verse: Isaiah 26:3-4
5 Sara Seering
Height: 5’5”
Hometown: West Bend, WI
Major: Elementary Education
Life Verse: Psalm 73:25-26
10 Miranda Smith
Height: 5’6”
Hometown: Howard, PA
Major: Camp Ministries
Life Verse: Isaiah 26:3-4
11 Becky Thomas
Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Dunbar, WI
Major: Family & Women’s Ministries
Life Verse: Philippians 3:12
4 Rachel Williams
Height: 5’2”
Hometown: Land O’ Lakes, FL
Major: Bible Expositions
Life Verse: Isaiah 12:2
Hannah Kurtz (manager)
Hometown: Nappanee, IN
Major: Office Administration
Life Verse: Galatians 2:20
Rachel Murray (stats)
Hometown: Buhler, KS
Major: Family & Women’s Ministries
Life Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6
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