The Shamrock girls varsity basketball team began the year with Four Rivers Conference play against the Union Wildcats on January 4th, 2016. Both teams ended 2015 with a loss, New Haven to St. James, Union to Pacific. For one of the FRC teams, the start of the new year resulted in a win.
In the first quarter, the Shamrocks came out strong against the Wildcats. The girls moved the ball around the perimeter and found various ways to get the open shot. Until the last few minutes of the quarter, New Haven had the lead. But due to a couple of turnovers, the girls found themselves down by one to the Union Wildcats, 12-11.
The second quarter went much better for the Shamrocks, who handled the Wildcats’ pressure. At the end of the half, the girls found themselves up by five, 23-18.
“Going into the second half, we knew we had to have really good pressure defense against Union. The more we pressured, the better chance we had at getting the ball back. Our team also knew we had to have quick ball movement against Union’s zone,” states Maddie Fleer, senior.
The second half was better for the Shamrocks. In the third quarter, the Varsity girls kept their lead against the Wildcats, in the end extending their score by 10 points. Going into the fourth quarter, the Shamrocks were in the lead, 34-24.
The fourth quarter was exciting for the Shamrocks. The Wildcats came back from their 10 point deficit, and closed the gap to four. The Shamrocks found a way to hold off Union. Due to their defense and free throws, in the end, New Haven ultimately came out on top, 46-36.
For the night, sophomore Emily Scheer had 10 points, and senior Erin Scheer had 9 points. Sophomore Lauren Gerlemann had a total of 10 rebounds.
“Before Cuba, I think we just need to keep working on our defense and lowering the number of turnovers we have. Cuba, like Union, is going to be tough. As long as we play our game, it’s going to be a good game,” adds senior Emma Borcherding about the Shamrocks upcoming game in Cuba.
Catch the girls in action at Cuba on Thursday, January 7th, starting at 6 p.m.