Warriors season ends as team fails to put ball in basket
PJ RAMIRO
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Sports
Shutting down the opposition and putting the clamps on defense wasn't the problem for the EC women's basketball team as it finished third overall in team defense.
While the Warriors defense was third in California, it might have stopped them from putting points on the board and earning a spot in the playoffs as the women finished with a record of 13-16 overall and 8-4 in South Coast Conference play.
After a disappointing 20th place finish, the Warriors failed to make the playoffs, missing out on the top 18 spots. Finishing third on defense is an accomplishment for the Warriors, but they were unable to convert their stops on defense into points on offense.
"Plain and simple, we just couldn't score the ball," tri-captain sophomore Janina Hartwill said. "We just couldn't score when we needed to. We got the stops on defense but you're not going to win if you don't put the ball in the basket. That was a huge problem for us."
With the team finishing 77th overall on offense in California, Hartwill believed the team could have scored more off the fast break. With the team struggling to score the ball, Hartwill said the offense wasn't diverse enough to create better scoring opportunities.
"On the halfcourt set, not everyone got the looks they wanted," Hartwill said. "Not everyone got the chance to score and the plays were only run for certain players."
Having nine new players on the team was a tough task since each player had to acclimate into the new system.
Sophomore tri-captain Laquisha Ward said the team struggled to build chemistry between teammates on the court while also trying to figure out plays on offense.
"We tried to build chemistry and figure each other out," Ward said. "We got off to a bad start in preseason and we struggled trying to put the ball in the basket since we were trying to gel with each other. It was tough offensively."
Ward also said that the team sometimes had great shots and great looks to score, but it was so tough that it just would not score.
While the Warriors defense was third in California, it might have stopped them from putting points on the board and earning a spot in the playoffs as the women finished with a record of 13-16 overall and 8-4 in South Coast Conference play.
After a disappointing 20th place finish, the Warriors failed to make the playoffs, missing out on the top 18 spots. Finishing third on defense is an accomplishment for the Warriors, but they were unable to convert their stops on defense into points on offense.
"Plain and simple, we just couldn't score the ball," tri-captain sophomore Janina Hartwill said. "We just couldn't score when we needed to. We got the stops on defense but you're not going to win if you don't put the ball in the basket. That was a huge problem for us."
With the team finishing 77th overall on offense in California, Hartwill believed the team could have scored more off the fast break. With the team struggling to score the ball, Hartwill said the offense wasn't diverse enough to create better scoring opportunities.
"On the halfcourt set, not everyone got the looks they wanted," Hartwill said. "Not everyone got the chance to score and the plays were only run for certain players."
Having nine new players on the team was a tough task since each player had to acclimate into the new system.
Sophomore tri-captain Laquisha Ward said the team struggled to build chemistry between teammates on the court while also trying to figure out plays on offense.
"We tried to build chemistry and figure each other out," Ward said. "We got off to a bad start in preseason and we struggled trying to put the ball in the basket since we were trying to gel with each other. It was tough offensively."
Ward also said that the team sometimes had great shots and great looks to score, but it was so tough that it just would not score.
Be the first to comment on this story