| Cards hope to overcome last year's stumble (11/09) | | Print | |
| Written by Destiny Vaughn | ||
| Friday, 13 November 2009 | ||
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The girls’ varsity basketball team is taking these words to heart as they step back onto the court after the Lincoln Mustangs put an end to their six-year winning streak. Last year, the team took a disappointing loss in the championships against Lincoln with a score of 48 – 37. But they refuse to let that get them down. “Last year’s loss only motivates us to work harder this year,” co-captain and point guard Kristina Lum said. “I feel that if we keep practicing hard we will have a good chance of winning.”
This season, the girls plan not only to recapture the title, but also to refocus their efforts on the court. The team cannot simply focus on what their opponents are doing — it needs to move together and incorporate new players into one single unit. With the departure of many key players such as seniors Eryn Kimura, Jessi Miao, Kenny Ludlow and Ashley Ong, the team is preparing to contend for the city championship. “We lost some good players last year, but we also gained new players this year,” co-captain and shooting guard senior Amanda Chow said. “At this point we are trying to improve our team chemistry and basketball skills to move forward.” This year the team’s game-strategy has changed a lot from last year’s. As opposed to the previous season when the team had Miao, a very tall post-player standing at over 6 feet who could easily have plays centered around her, this year the team relies on their guard play. “We have a 16-girl team with only 5 posts and 11 guards,” co-captain and forward senior Rachel Baskin said. “The team is focused on running plays that involve move ball handling and driving to the basket.” Newcomers faced challenges moving from junior varsity to the varsity team, but are willing to step up into new roles to help the team win the championship. Shooting and point-guard Tiffani Pak said she felt that varsity is “more competitive” than JV. “I am trying to get used to the pressure of being on varsity and playing up to the varsity skill level, but I am excited for the season and am anticipating a rematch against Lincoln this year in the end,” she said. This season, the team has an arsenal of talented players such as Baskin, Lum, Chow and freshman forward Lorna Tu’ufuli to help achieve the title. “Rachel will help the team a lot this year. She’s a solid all-around player, she works hard and she inspires us all,” Lum said. “Lorna will also help our team a lot since we’re a small team physically this year.” To win the championships, the Cardinals are focusing on hard-work and using the preseason as a way to find their strengths and weaknesses. “Once we get some games underway, we will find out our weaknesses and work hard in practice to become better everyday,” Baskin said. Support your lady Cardinals as they head into their first preseason game at 4p.m. on Nov. 11 at University High School against University. Share this article:           |
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Senior Kristina Lum loses her balances as she is swarmed by Mustang efenders in last year's championship loss. (Ben Udelson) | < Prev | Next > |
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