On Tuesday, January 26th, the New Haven Girls’ Varsity Basketball team started their journey in the Hermann Girls Basketball Tournament. This year’s girls varsity tournament was set up a little differently than in years past. Instead of typical bracket play, six teams were split into two pools. New Haven’s pool consisted of Wright City and Owensville.
In the third quarter, Wright City trailed New Haven, 35-12. The fourth quarter sealed the deal for the New Haven Shamrocks, who kept Wright City from scoring the rest of the game.
In the end, the Shamrocks won 50-12.
Sophomore Lauren Gerlemann had 15 points, and senior Lauren Bergner had eight rebounds. Sophomore Emily Scheer had four steals.
“Against Wright City, we moved the ball around really well. We looked at the basket, and took good shots. Our defense was really good, which led to a lot of steals. This helped us in scoring so many points,” explains senior Emma Borcherding regarding the Shamrocks’ strengths in their game against Wright City.
In their second pool play game, the Shamrocks faced the Owensville Dutchgirls. Going into the match, the girls knew it was going to be a tough battle.
Before the game, Senior Erin Scheer added what she thought the Shamrocks needed to do. “We have to play hard for all four quarters of the game on both sides of the floor. Handling the ball against their pressure will be really important for us, and we have to be really aware of a few of their players that we know look to score a lot. Also, I think the team needs to go in with a good attitude about the game and a lot of desire to win!“
To start the game, the Shamrocks came out on fire. Unexpectedly, after the first quarter New Haven held the lead, 10-6. For Shamrock fans, the night looked promising.
In the second quarter, the lead shifted towards the Dutchgirls, 19-17. The game was a close one for the Shamrocks. After halftime, the Shamrocks and Dutchgirls battled back and forth between holding the lead. By the end of the third quarter, Owensville was still up by three, 30-27.
In the fourth quarter, the Shamrocks came back and took the lead from Dutchgirls. But due to fouls and a few unforced turnovers, the Dutchgirls came out on top, advancing their lead to ten. In the end, New Haven fell to the Dutchgirls, 43-33.
Senior Maddie Fleer had 10 rebounds, and senior Erin Scheer had seven points.
In result of winning against Wright City and losing to Owensville, New Haven was set to play the Chamois Lady Pirates on Friday, January 29. The winner between the Shamrocks and the Pirates would ultimately be the third place winner.
The first quarter started off right for the Shamrocks, who sprung out ahead of Chamois, 14-2. Sophomore Emily Scheer was on fire, starting the game with 9 points. In the second quarter, the Shamrocks allowed Chamois to catch up a bit. However, the Shamrocks still kept the lead at the half, 21-16.
After the half, the Shamrocks still held off the Pirates. By the end of the third, New Haven was up, 28-23. The fourth quarter was better for the Shamrocks, who doubled their third quarter points. In the fourth quarter, Sophomore Lauren Gerlemann totaled 5 points. Gerlemann had 12 on the night. ..
All in all, New Haven triumphed over Chamois, 42-33. This resulted in a third-place victory for the Shamrocks.
In regards to the win against Chamois, senior Maddie Fleer explained, “Our team guarded Chamois really well. We didn’t let them shoot the outside shot, which helped us in the end.”
Catch the Shamrocks in action against the Chamois Pirates at 5:30 on Monday, February 1st!