SG Basketball: Tall Order While Short-handed

No less than four(!) girls (Juliette, Tammy, Sumomo and Lea-Rose) were unable to make the trip due to injuries and/or ailments, and of the remaining players Jeniva was under the weather, Cece’s knee was badly bruised and Rosema was battling shin splints. Not the best recipe to take on the #1 team in the league, lemmetellya.

But it’s with real pride that I can report the team played like true Spartans on this night. Outnumbered and outmatched in hostile territory – just like the Spartans of old at Thermopylae – they fought from the first whistle to the last, undaunted.

Elisabeth and Rosema provided the offence with clever pick and pops at the top and timely long-range shooting; defensively it was an impressive group effort, highlighted by Charlotte’s and Rosalie’s gritty play, Cece’s instincts on the wing, and Elisabeth’s high-flying rim protection; and Player Of The Game Samantha Smith, aggressive and poised at the same time, played fast and controlled and confident on both ends of the floor.

Oh, and there were some cool highlights:

Highlight of the Game #1: Elisabeth once again doing her best “Lebron James chase down block” impersonation, somehow catching up to a LaRuche player all alone on a fast break (one of her friends, no less!), flying in out of nowhere, and viciously slamming the attempted layup into the wall of the gym. It may be the craziest, most athletic blocked shot I’ve ever seen. Imagine if it wasn’t a friend of hers…?

Highlight of the Game #2: Elisabeth, double-teamed in the post, finding Cece down low with a slick bounce pass, and Cece coolly finishing at the rim.

Highlight of the Game #3: Rosema’s expression after she drained yet another long range bomb from three-point land, kinda like Michael Jordan in the famous “Shrug Game”!

All in all, this 26-38 loss was yet more proof of this team’s toughness and character. Outmanned and outgunned, they stepped up and refused to go down without a fight. It’s games like these that improve us and prepare us.

Now let’s get healthy – we’ve got three more games next week!