Lady Pirates win two against Pinnacle and Altamont

By EUGENE SWALBERG

The Green River Lady Pirates took to their home court hard wood for the first time against the Lady Pinnacle Panthers. The game was spirited as coach Parsons emptied the bench giving every varsity player some valuable minutes on the court and each Lady Pirate made a scoring contribution except for their newest player, number 34, Sydney Thayn.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying as the final minutes of the game were dedicated to feeding Sydney the ball and hoping she could get ‘one’ to fall.
Though you wouldn’t characterize the game as much of a struggle for the Lady Pirates, it did give players Cady Mecham and Megan Hatt a chance to work on their individual strengths. Cady pounded it inside for game high 20 points while Megan Hatt drove the lanes and sprinted on fast breaks for her 18.
Feleisha Antillon saw some valuable varsity time and reached her personal scoring best by dropping two ‘bombs’ on her way to 10 points. Cassi Mecham also played some productive varsity minutes by putting up a few baskets but they just wouldn’t find the underside of the iron but she did manage to make one of her two attempts while at the free throw line.
While rising stars Jamie Johnson and Michaela Hughes didn’t set any scoring records during the game, each girl was able to contribute with points and assists.
Green River vs Altamont Lady Longhorns
While the Lady Pirates game against the Lady Panthers could be characterized as spirited as the Lady Pirates had fun playing as a team; the game against the Lady Longhorns would best be described as more of a battle fought with a ball and a few well placed elbows. There is some history between these two schools and the basketball court is a wonderful setting to ‘battle it out.’
From the tip-off where the Lady Longhorns controlled the ball and put up the first four points to the final buzzer where the Lady Pirates’ five point game winning lead was for the most part created by their third quarter’s nine point scoring differential (where the Lady Pirates scored 17 points to the Lady Longhorns scored eight points).
The fast paced game featured Megan Hatt busting lose for screaming fast lay-ups, hard fought posting in the paint plays by Cady Mecham, Michaela Hughes and Jamie Johnson and a few long bombs by Sarah Swalberg (2) and Megan Hatt (1). Six of the seven girls who ran up and down the floor and drenched their uniforms with sweat contributed points.
But a basketball game isn’t just won by scoring baskets. The Lady Pirates have worked hard on upsetting the flow of the game against their opponents. Each of the girls has spent extra time working on her ability to disrupt an opponents play and create mismatches which lead to turnovers. Coach Parsons has stressed the need in shutting down the other girls as the Lady Pirates amp up their offense. It’s a work in progress but their record reflects their commitment in putting into practice what Coach Parsons’ preaches.