Varsity Girls Basketball Defeat Northwood

Senior+guard+Megan+Anderson+shoots+a+free+throw%2C+an+area+of+the+game+that+the+Lady+Rams+are+working+to+improve+on.+--Ronaldo+Reyes

Senior guard Megan Anderson shoots a free throw, an area of the game that the Lady Rams are working to improve on. –Ronaldo Reyes

Senior guard Megan Anderson shoots a free throw, an area of the game that the Lady Rams are working to improve on. --Ronaldo Reyes
Senior guard Megan Anderson shoots a free throw, an area of the game that the Lady Rams are working to improve on. –Ronaldo Reyes

The Lady Rams added a fourth win to their current game winning streak, by defeating division rivals Northwood HS 59-44 on Jan. 30. High intensity and quick passing gave the Rams a big advantage over an overwhelmed Northwood team.

From the start of the game the Rams played aggressively quickly gaining control of the game. “That is what I want from the get go. We are slapping the floor, we are playing good defense that is how we are going to win games,” Coach Frank Weaver said. Since Weaver took over as head coach for the team, he has raised the emphasis on playing with intensity.

Starting in the second half, the Rams began making more mistakes; mostly turnovers. Despite this, good rebounds by sophomore forward Mfon Akpaete and sophomore center Jaylah James, as well as a solid defense ensured that the Rams regained possession of the ball quickly.

The Rams’ solid defense was definitely one of the crucial factors that helped cement their victory against the Gladiators. Junior shooting guard Paige Hailstock, whose birthday was on the day of the game, said, “Every time we get on defense, we have to slap the floor and yell “defense!a��, because it gets our adrenaline up and makes us work harder.” Hailstock helped the team win by scoring most of her three-pointers that night.

Compared to the beginning of the season, which started with a four game losing streak, the Rams have made a significant improvement by winning more games. Free throws however are still an issue for the Rams. “Our fouls shots are killing us, we need to be shooting in the 80 percentile yet we are shooting in the 50 to 30 percentile,” Weaver said.

With another win, the goal of obtaining the division title seems more realistic. Junior point guard Hazel Carmona said, “It felt good to win tonight because it means that we are one step closer to winning the title which I personally really want to put it on the banner this year.” Hazel Carmona averages 14 points per game; the highest on the team.

The Rams have eight games left in their regular season and are currently second in their division with a record of 6-1. The Rams had already defeated the Gladiators previously on Jan. 8 with a score of 55-32.