While the regular season is still wrapping up, the girls basketball team has gotten a look at what their road to Des Moines holds and have started preparing for the regional tournament.
“I feel we can handle any bracket if we play to the ability that we know we can,” Kiera Washpun ‘14 said.
The Little Hawks received a bye for the first round of the regional tournament. They will face the winner of the Bettendorf vs. Pleasant Valley game, on Saturday, February 8, at 7 PM in the City High gym. Since they have not played either team this season, head coach Bill McTaggart says having the home court advantage can give them that extra shot of needed confidence to help battle potential
first round jitters.
“[Fans] get us fired up,” he said, “The more students and adults that come to the games, the better off we are,” he said.
If the Little Hawks win their first game they will advance to the regional final. Their potential opponent would be either Cedar Rapids Washington or the winner of the North Scott vs. Clinton game. The team has played both Washington and North Scott earlier this season and won both of those games. However, tournament time with its “lose one and you’re done” format provides a new level of pressure for the team to face.
The Little Hawks need to keep their turnovers low and continue to execute their half court offense well. As it has been the entire season, emphasizing a dominant inside game to open up chances for their outside sniper Mickey Hansche ‘13 is the key to the team’s success. The team needs to continue to pound the ball inside. Sierra Chambers ‘12 has scored in double digits in the past 10 games and in the last four, she has totaled 81 points while Haley Lorenzen ‘14 has also been providing an inside threat as well. These performances have allowed Hansche to shine with three 20 plus point performances in the team’s last four contests. Continued scoring from this trio as well as tough defense from Harper Beasley ’12 and ball control and playmaking from point guard Washpun will help determine the fate of the Little Hawks. City will also need to continue to rely on gaining valuable minutes from bench players Jordan Sullivan ’12, Aliyah Gustafson ’13, Erin Danielson ’13, and Abby Schoeder ’12 to insure that starters stay fresh and the team has the right mix to survive in the cauldron that is the February Fury/March Madness of the Girls State Tournament.
