By their demeanor on Thursday night after the Darby game, you never would have known that Victor lost that game. In the locker room they were upbeat and excited, according to first year coach Ryan Tolley.
“Even with the loss, it felt like a win,” said Tolley. “They were excited about their effort and the way they played. They’re starting to take pride in their play, which is fun to see.”
The Lady Pirates have not won a game this year. In fact, they have been blown out of the water a few times. But this young, scrappy team has not given up, in part because of their coach and his faith in them. Tolley said he worked with the girls a lot this summer when they played summer ball.
“I realized that it was a lot of mental toughness. We could see that we’re not outmatched physically and that they are a bunch of athletic girls,” said Tolley.
The growth this team has shown is beginning to pay off in points and defense. Tolley said his team needs to take the ball into the rim more, which will draw more fouls and get closer shots. With sophomore Madi Bahr at 5’10”and freshman Elizabeth Sturges at 5’8, the potential for an inside game plan is there. Add in outside shooting from Ashley Buchanan, Jadyn Scheffer, Virginia Brown, and Bella Scichilone and the team is coming together.
Defensively, the team started off on a two/three match up, not a traditional zone. They have tried other defensive plays and are becoming more confident in their defense. On both Thursday and Saturday, against Darby and St. Regis, they switched up to a 1-3-1 defense that gave their opponents trouble.
“When Darby came here, we actually beat them in the first quarter and we were frustrating them with our man-to-man coverage,” said Tolley. “They really just gave 100 percent effort the whole time. It was really impressive and it was fun to watch, even though we lost. The attitude in the locker room, even with the loss, felt like a win.”
Scichilone, who is extremely quick, led the Lady Pirates against Darby with six points. She is a sophomore as is Bahr, Emma Day, and Shaylee Benton. Jayden Scheffer, Cassidy Alber, and Emily Snow are all juniors. There is only one senior, Moria Perry, on the team and she plays junior varsity as this is her first year playing in high school. The freshman class of Tia Allred, Virginia Brown, Abby Kay, Nola Smorowski, Elizabeth Sturges, Kyla Tacker, and Alexis Wyatt, make up the remainder of the team. Tolley rotates almost all of the players on junior varsity and varsity so they are getting a lot of game time.
Darby 46, Victor 22
Darby – Madison Conner 2, Gracie Lang 7, Annie Rennaker 7, Kimber Schlapman 7, Hawkinson 6, L Buhler 4, Amber Anderson 12, Godwin 1.
Victor – Kyla Tacker 3, Bella Scichilone 6, Liz Sturges 3, Emma Day 2, Virginia Brown 4, Abby Kay 1, Ashley Buchanan 3.
Victor played St. Regis on Saturday night. The game was within one point most of the first half, although St. Regis would pull ahead but then Victor would come right back. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers pulled ahead and extended the margin to 13 points with four minutes remaining in the game. But a charge was called on St. Regis and Scichilone made good with a bucket at the other end of the gym.She then made a steal and sank a left handed layup. A couple of baskets by Virginia Brown reduced the margin and Victor lost, 44-37. Brown made three three-point field goals for the night.
St. Regis 44, Victor 37
St. Regis – Alexander 3, Burnham 4, Shoupe 4, Hurd 3, King 12, Thompson 18.
Victor – Jayden Scheffer 3, Nola Smorowski 4, Kyla Tacker 1, Bella Scichilone 8, Elizabeth Sturges 2, Emma Day 1, Virginia Brown 11, Maddie Bahr 1, Abby Kay 6.