Board beating leads to second loss for Mount Si girls
December 11, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
The object of basketball is, of course, to get the ball through the hoop.
But if the Mount Si girls could simply get their hands on the ball, they might be happy enough.
For the second consecutive outing, the Wildcats struggled to rebound and lost on the road, falling to Holy Names 61-50 Dec. 8. The loss drops Mount Si to 1-2.
Mount Si’s Jordyn Wilson is hounded by Holy Names defenders during the Wildcats’ loss Dec. 8.
Facing a lineup that included three players listed as tall as 6-foot, the Wildcats struggled in the post from start to finish. Using a physical and aggressive style, Holy Names finished with 20 offensive boards and scored the majority of its field goals on put backs.
The reoccurring theme left Mount Si quite frustrated.
“We have girls on this team who are 5-2 and 5-3, but we’re still not giving the effort we need to rebound the ball. Opponents are getting second, third and fourth attempts at their end. We had the problem last year, and now it’s rearing its ugly head this season,” Mount Si head coach Dirk Hansen said.
“I don’t believe it’s just a matter of size. The best rebounder I’ve seen in KingCo was 5-5. You have to get a body on them and go get them.”
The trio of 5-11 Chelsea Gonzales, 6-1 Erika Johnson and 6-0 Jordyn Seni combined for 24 rebounds for the Cougars. In an attempt to combat the trio’s post presence, Mount Si’s Sarah McDonald and Traci Nelson — the Wildcats’ tallest players at 5-10 and 5-9 — fouled out.
Still, Mount Si trailed only 27-23 at halftime and 31-27 late in the third period. Holy Names got six straight points from Seni to up its lead to 40-28, but a Jori Braun 3-pointer helped pull the Wildcats back to within 40-33 going into the fourth.
Mount Si managed to get within 42-38, before the Cougars went back to their best friend — the rebound. Holy Names got a put back with a foul, then missed the ensuing free throw and got another put back to make it 46-38. The Wildcats never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
Catie Richards finished with 17 points to lead all scorers. Braun and Nelson each added eight for Mount Si.
Gonzales led the Cougars with 16 points, while Jasmine McCleave had 12 and Sophie Reichelt 10.
“They’re a good bunch of girls and they’re working hard. And the offense, when we stay in it and stay disciplined, is good,” Hansen said. “I just don’t want them to lose confidence. We’ve lost two close games in a row now.”
Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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