So the second half of the season has gone much better than the first, and I am very proud of how much we have improved and grown as a team. Although, there is always room for more improvement, we have definitely come along way. One of our biggest successes is that we have learned to handle tough situations and we no longer fold under pressure in tight games. We found our poise in Texas, and we have learned to maintain it.
I am happy to report that we have been on a thirteen-game winning streak since I last posted right before the second Capital game. As exciting as that is, we are really focusing on getting better during every practice and every game in order to be the best team we can be going in the OAC Tournament. In addition to great play by some of our main scorers, we have had some others step up in big ways for us. Great post play was a key in our Wilmington match- up and the guards played great defense against Otterbein. A couple people came off the bench with some big plays as well! Amanda Schroeder received OAC player of the week honors for her performance against Capital, which is awesome!
We are currently tied with Capital at first in the league, so today is a big day for a number of reasons. First, we are playing second-ranked Muskingum. They are having a great season, and like all other OAC teams, cannot be taken lightly. It is also going to be televised which is always exciting. Also, even though we need to focus on our own games, there are some big OAC match-ups today that are going to affect league standings in a big way.
It’s also Valentine’s Day! Since there are only a few single ladies on our team, we decided to organize a Secret Valentine gift exchange, so everyone can enjoy their Valentine’s Day. Some of us have not received our gifts yet, but senior guard Jessica Butzer got a big, pink, stuffed wiener dog from freshman guard Monica Gustin. (How thoughtful Mon Mon.) Freshman post Katie Heinlen got some pretty sweet gifts from a one of our centers :)
Just because our second round of OAC games has gone so well does not mean that we have not come across some crazy situations along the way. I already mentioned the John Carroll changing-on-the-bus fiasco. On our way to Otterbein, we ran into terrible weather. When we were ten minutes away we were informed that the power at Otterbein was out. We were determined to play, so we decided to wait it out. It was a little nerve-wracking though. Luckily, the power came on and the game was only delayed a half an hour. Afterwards, we thought we were home free, but then the bus wouldn’t start, so we had to wait for another one to pick us up. We just hung out in Otterbein’s gym for awhile. Good thing the coaches ordered pizza or we would have been really cranky. We were pretty tired, but it wasn’t too bad. Otterbein’s Head Coach Richardson brought us some leftover cake. I was excited about that, and it was very nice of her.
So right now we just have to get ready for Musky! We already had a shoot around this morning. Before we got down to business we managed to set a school record of how many balls we could fit into one basket. I think we got 7. I had a picture of it but it didn’t get saved on my camera :( So you’ll just have to imagine our phenomenal achievement by yourself. Sorry.
Junior Center Ariel Brough, #45
(Our senior student athletic trainer Jessica Cudnik poses with her Secret Valentine gift from senior point guard Jessica Butzer. They are wearing pink for the OAC's initiative to support breast cancer awareness. For three games we wear pink warm up shirts, pre-wrap and shoe laces. Proceeds from the t-shirt sales benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.)
