"If how we played this week doesn't show how good we can be, I don't know what will."- Coach Hatch
By Dan Tomlin, dtomlin@qconline.com
| Coming off a 9-21 campaign last year, skepticism was expected for the Alleman girls' basketball team. It was just the fifth time, and first since 1997-1998's 14-15 season, in 20 years that a Jay Hatch-led Pioneer program had been under .500. Inside the program, expectations stayed as high as ever. The Pioneers seemed to be a long ways away from the team that won the 2005 Class A State Championship. After this weekend though, the girls in green proved that they can compete with anyone in the state. Their only loss of the tournament came to then-undefeated El Paso-Gridley, which lost to Bloomington Central Catholic in the title game. The Saints played in the championship game of the state tournament last year, and the State Farm Classic is widely considered to be a who's-who in girls' hoops. So what's different about this year's Pioneers squad? Not much other than a year's worth of learning. Cierra Davis continues to be a constant do-everything, from rebounding, passing and scoring to tenacious defense. The continued maturation of sophomore point guard Anna Wetherell brings stability to the offense, and the bench is playing lights out. But the biggest change, and probably a microcasm of the season, is the development of Zoe Kelso into an offensive power in the post. "Zoe's really, really talented and she's starting to figure it out," Alleman coach Jay Hatch said. "And that's true for the rest of our team too. They're starting to figure out how good we can be." With wins over the state's No. 3 ranked team in 2A, Pana, No. 11 Bishop MacNamara, and St. Thomas More, which was receiving votes, the Pioneers third-place trophy speaks volumes. How good can they be? "That's up to the kids to decide," Hatch said. "We have depth, height, shooters, defense, we've got all of those pieces; we just need to be able to do those things when something doesn't go well. "If how we played this week doesn't show how good we can be, I don't know what will." They'll leapfrog a bunch of teams in the next AP poll, and, after the second half of the season in a tough-as-nails Western Big 6 conference, will be more than prepared for the postseason. With Rock Falls in their regional and Stillman Valley and St. Edward in their sectional, the Pioneers are out to prove they belong to be counted among the state's best. "We feel like we can beat any team if we go in with the right mindset and not get down," senior reserve Taylor Johnson said. "This year we're not just a team, but we're a family and we stand by each other whether things are going good or bad." It's an attitude like that that is turning skeptics into believers. |
No comments:
Post a Comment