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.

 

Lady Falcons Find True Grit; Come from Behind to Dump Sisters

Except for a sublime, impromptu moment, Elmira's girls basketball victory over Sisters was anything but a work of art.

"We have a long way to go in our execution, conditioning, and in a lot of our skill work," noted Falcon's head coach Ken Best in an email.  "But I was proud of how level-headed and focused we were."

Junior Maranda Hanson towers over three Sisters' defenders as well as Elmira's Megan Porter and Sydney Green to snatch a rebound in the Lady Falcons' 34-29 victory over the Lady Outlaws.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie

In a sluggish game where both teams shot horrendously, especially in the first half, Elmira's backcourt accounted for 61% of the Falcon's scoring, overcoming a first half deficit and pulling out a 34-29 victory in their season opener in the nightcap game, December 4 at Elmira High School.  Senior Sydney Green scored 11 points and Carly Grossmiller added 10 for the winners.

Second team 4A-Sky Em, all conference player Sydney Green goes up for an uncontested lay up in Elmira's 34-29 win over Sisters, Tuesday December 4.  Green led all Falcon scorers with 11 points.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie

Defense was the order of the day, especially in the second half where the Lady Outlaws were reduced to a meager 10 points in 16 minutes of play.  Led by defensive specialist Megan Porter, the Falcons regained the lead on the first possession of the second half and began to wear down the Sisters offense.

Elmira forward Megan Porter defends against Sisters' shooter Sydney Head in the Lady Falcons' opening night victory against the Lady Outlaws, Tuesday December 4.  Photo by Kimberly Lilly.

"Megan is the type of defender I can put on their point guard, their best shooter, or their best post," Best added.  "I trust her in every defensive situation."

The punctuation mark on the victory belonged to Cheyanne White, who provided the most scintillating, albeit inadvertent,  highlight of the night.  Breaking the Sisters press, White drove into the right side of the paint with the intention of scoring.  According to White, she realized that a defender was going to be in the way and chose to pass.  As the defender lunged, the pass bounced on a dime through the defender's legs and into the hands of the Falcons' Alexis White, who scored in one fluid motion.  It was one of three pivotal plays that sealed the victory for Elmira.

White got another assist to Porter who hit a transition lay-up.  With three minutes to play, White had a shot blocked but was able to tip it to Porter who found Green for an open baseline jumper.

"I liked our tenacity and effort," Best said.  "They kept their heads in the game and never panicked, and they seemed to having fun.  The part about having fun is important to me."