Alleman is led by center Zoe Kelso. Before the start of the varsity game, Alleman will be honoring Coach Jay Hatch for his 400th career win.
There are some interesting contrasts and similarities between Galesburg and Alleman.
Similar- Both teams are coming off nice Christmas tourney runs. Galesburg took first at Charleston while Alleman finished third in the small school division at Bloomington tourney. In doing that Alleman defeated three state rated small schools.
Contrast- Traditionally Alleman wants the game to be in the 30's or 40's, while Galesburg wants the game in the 70's or 80's. In fact, Alleman is one of reasons Galesburg is running the system. No matter what Galesburg did vs. Alleman, GHS could not get more than 45 points vs. Alleman.
Similar- Both teams have had good success playing lots of players. Galesburg will have 13 players into the game in the first 4 minutes of the game. Alleman will generally play 10 players in each quarter. This depth has provided great dividends for both teams at the end of the seasons.
Contrast- Alleman is a private school and Galesburg is a public school.
Similar- Alleman is the smallest school in the WB6, and Galesburg is smallest public school in the WB6.
Contrast- Alleman will rely on stingy half court mm defense that refuses to allow anyone to run any sets. Galesburg will rely on trapping defense.
Similar- Both gyms make it tough to communicate. Galesburg has the largest crowds and loudest crowds in the WB6. Alleman's sound is like Knox College. Even when the gym is empty it is impossible to hear anything from across the gym. Communicating with players at Alleman is next to impossible.
Contrast- Alleman has won a state title in basketball, Galesburg has never won a state title.
Similar- Both teams enter with identical 3-2 conference records.
Alleman played on Tuesday at Rockrdige and came out with a win....
By Terry Duckett, tduckett@qconline.com
| EDGINGTON -- Returning to the basketball court Tuesday night after a weekend break, the Alleman girls' cagers saw a possible one-sided victory quickly metamorphosize into a tightly contested game. However, after the Rockridge Rockets whittled a 16-point deficit o six early in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers picked up the pace behind a pair of Zoe Kelso buckets, and from that point were able to widen their lead and earn a 59-44 nonconference victory. "I'd rather we'd win by 100 points; that'd make for a more relaxing game,'' quipped Alleman coach Jay Hatch, whose club moves to 13-6 in its first action since taking third in the 1A/2A bracket at the State Farm Holiday Classic last Friday. "Rockridge had other ideas, but we went back to the things that got us the lead in the first place.'' After a 14-0 run put Alleman up 34-18 early in the third quarter, the Rockets (10-8) stirred to life, closing the gap to 41-32 by the end of the period on a pair of Kaylee Moseley free throws. A three-point play by Emily Watkins in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter had the deficit to 41-35. But at that point, Kelso (19 points, six rebounds) stepped into the breach with a pair of quick buckets, and a subsequent 3-pointer by Cierra Davis (19 points, five rebounds, four steals) had the Pioneers back on track as they were able to sew up the victory. "We did a good job of answering their run. Teams aren't going to roll over for us, so the start of the fourth quarter was important for us,'' said Hatch, who also got 10 points from Anne Bohnert and five boards from Margaret Wendell. "We had a lot of balance (offensively), and I thought we were fairly solid on defense all night,'' Hatch continued. "There were a few breakdowns, but not a lot of them; it gave us a chance to get our offense going.'' While Hatch was happy with his club's defensive effort, Rockridge coach Shawn Strachan was left feeling the opposite of his Alleman counterpart, especially during a second quarter in which the Pioneers built a 10-7 edge into a 27-18 halftime lead. "Defensively, we're struggling right now, and I'm not sure why,'' said Strachan, whose club was playing for the first time since taking fourth last Friday at Erie's Warkins Memorial Cardinal Classic. Moseley led the Rockets with 14 points, with Caitlin McVay adding 13 and Watkins tossing in 11. Bre Lawless added five rebounds. "That's something we need to work on. Playing good defense has always been a mark of our team, and we've gotten away from it. Defense wins championships, and with it, we're a good team. If not, we're average at best.'' |
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