The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“From what I saw, I was really happy”
Coach Marymike Haley admits that a lot of the practices leading up to the Lady Titans’ 2013 season have been focused on fundamentals, with some offensive sets thrown in.
With that in mind, she entered the team’s first scrimmage of the season against Cotopaxi with no precise plan in mind.
“We just really wanted to see if we could put together some offense and play as a team on defense,” says Haley.
In addition, with 22 players on the bench, Haley only had the varsity out there for two quarters but the team exceeded her expectations, especially on defense. The Lady Titans defense created several turnovers that led to a number of transition buckets.
“I thought our defense looked really, really good,” says Haley. “They did a great job with help side.”
A big help on defense came from the return of senior Rosie Ewert, who missed last season due to injury.
“Rosie really did surprise me. She played heads-up, great defense,” says Haley.
While both senior Maddie Stichter and junior Shannon Costello did what they always do, penetrate and score, Haley was impressed with the work of senior Elisabeth Desmarais and junior Suzanna Dumas in the paint.
“Their rebounding was awesome—the fact that they were present under the basket is huge,” says Haley.
One thing is for sure: Haley is seeing a difference in a lot of her players from last year. Several were thrown into the varsity mix despite their age and inexperience last season and it appears to have paid off.
“From what I saw, I was really happy,” says Haley. “That one year makes a huge difference. Overall, I’m really happy with the way they’re jiving.”
The Titans have a break over Thanksgiving and then will head to South Park for a tournament November 29-December 1.
“South Park will be a good test,” says Haley.
