On Tuesday the Cobbler girls’ basketball team will try to avenge a loss to the Stevens Raiders.
The first highly anticipated cross-town rival basketball game ended in disappointment for the Cobblers girls’ basketball team earlier this season, but the Cobbler girls are anxiously waiting for the next match-up, expecting it will end with different results.
While the girls basketball team has had a rocky start, but despite being 7-9, they’re optimistic. “We’re seeing progression with each practice and each game,” said Coach Blomme. “Losing key seniors (Maddi Sullivan, Karli O’Brien, Mya Jones, and Michelle Johnson) did not slow us down as much as I thought, and it’s been really amazing watching younger players step up and fill shoes I thought would be too big to fill. This next game we don’t have anything to prove and they have everything to prove. The pressure is on them and I think that is really going to help my girls play more relaxed and confident.”
The first time against the Raiders, senior Bailey Johnson led the Cobblers with 12 points. Both Juneau Jones and Bailey Johnson fouled out of the game in the 4th quarter, and the final score was 57-38. But these girls are hungry and they’re ready for the next epic showdown. Junior Whitley Heitsch is looking forward to the intense atmosphere and says the team has been working hard to prepare. “Since it’s a rivalry game, there will be a lot of fans for both teams and we really have to lock in, stay focused, and play our game,” Heitsch said. “We’ve been working on being more defensive in practice. They are a very good team and bring a lot of good plays to the court, but we’re ready.”
Junior Juneau Jones is also feeling very confident. “The win would keep us where we need to be for the playoff game and we know what to expect from these girls,” she said. Jones has been playing varsity longer than any of her teammates, even though she’s just a junior, but she says she’s not really feeling pressure on just her. “It’s on all of us because we play as a unit, it’s not really an individual sport.”
Photo by Claire Kurtz
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