Lady Falcons Endure Two Savage Beat Downs

Last week wasn't kind to the Elmira Lady Falcons basketball team, outmanned at the outset by the absence of center Maranda Hanson.  Elmira found itself struggling mightily in its first road contest at Philomath where the Lady Warriors trounced Elmira 55-24 Tuesday December 11 at Philomath High School.  Cold shooting that plagued the Falcons in their opening night victory versus Sisters, reared its ugly head again against Philomath.  This was compounded by 20 turnovers and an anemic 3 for 18 shooting from the free throw line.

Elmira junior Megan Porter defends against Philomath's Emma Pankalla in the Lady Falcon's 55-24 loss on Tuesday December 11 at Philomath High School.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie

However, the biggest harbinger of doom for Elmira was Philomath big guard Sage Kramer who lit up the Falcon defense for 18 points most in the first half.

"For me the most disappointing part was the discipline of our defense," lamented Elmira head coach Ken Best in an email.

The lone bright spot was Carly Grossmiller who led Elmira, scoring 15 points often on aggressive drives to the Philomath basket.

Falcon's senior Carly Grossmiller attacks the rack for 2 of her 15 points in Elmira's loss to Philomath Tuesday December 11.
Photo by Kimberly Lillie.

"Carly is a constant burst of energy," said Best.  "She just wants to play and play hard and she doesn't let the swings of the game affect her emotionally.  The rest of our team needs to follow her example in that regard."

"Our mental preparation in the practices leading up to this game was not what it needed to be," explained Best.  "Our focus, effort, and attitude during the game was not what it needed to be.  I can tell you that our short practice on Wednesday and Thursday's practice after this game are two of the best we've had from a mental and physical standpoint."

Unfortunately, that didn't translate into a victory as the Lady Falcons traveled to Newport and were rudely hammered by the hosts by a cringe-worthy 69-18 count Friday December 14 at Newport High School.  The 51 point loss left Elmira with a 1-2 count on the young season with Sweet Home coming in next Tuesday for the opener of a double header.  The girls play at 5:45 and the boys take the floor at 7:15.