Henry Raymond
Bellows Free Academy => BFA Sports Events => Topic started by: Loctavious on December 08, 2008, 10:32:19 AM
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Friday 12/05/08
BFA JV & Varsity Girls vs Colchester.
JV
JV Girls had a good beginning , sinking 1 of 2 foul shots of a technical foul for inaccurate information submitted to offical score keepers. Held colchester scoreless for 2 minutes of the game but quickly succumbed to nerves, sliding to a 17-2 deficit. Girls refocused their efforts an went on a 7-2 run in the 2nd quarter - holding Colchester to 2 points.
3rd quarter held more 'nerve' mistakes for BFA and saw colchester go on a double digit run, building over a 22 point lead over fairfax. 4th quarter showed a determined BFA, as the girls went on a 14-4 run and shrunk colchester's lead to 12 points, despite BFA's starting PG absence with an injury.
The JV girls, though possessing a substantial amount of athleticism, will seek to make progress of the nerves affliction tonight against Milton.
Varsity
The Varsity Girls began strong and energetic against overall bigger and better shooting line-up from Colchester's varsity squad. End of first saw BFA with a 7 to 1 lead over Colchester.
BFA's mental poise diminished a bit in the second, no thanks to questionable officiating ( one could see 5 finger hand marks on arms, backs and even faces of multiple players - talking about street ball lol), but still managed a 1 point lead going into Half time.
3rd quarter saw BFA's slide continue as shots just wouldn't fall and the uncalled muggings continued. BFA succumbed to Colchester's will and went down by 4 going into the 4th.
With the extremely high level of 'allowed' contact, it was inevitable that someone would get hurt, and midway through the 4th - a colchester girl seriously hurt her knee ( knee cap). BFA slid yet further and colchester racked up a double digit lead. In the final 3 minutes though - BFA rallied and came close to breaking into a single digit lead but time expired.
Not a bad game by BFA - and definitely winnable with a few less mistakes.
Another big test for varsity comes tonight against Milton.
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What time do the Girls Basket Ball start tonigh? Is it a home game?
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Sorry - alreayd left for the day - it started at 5:30 and was AWAY at Milton.
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JV Girls
JV girls opened up Monday night's game in Milton with a few nerve mistakes, but quickly got down to business. More evident in this game then the first game or 2 scrimmages was the mental poise of the players. They moved the ball around with good passes, moved without the ball, and improvised broken plays well. BFA quickly gained a 12 point lead in the 1st qtr. The second qtr saw BFA play more smart basketball and great defense which helped grow their lead to double digits and almost a 20 point lead.
After half time, BFA protected the lead for a bit, but focused on working through some game play issues that weren't as pretty. This coaches' decision allowed Milton to get back into the game and go on a 16-5 run.
4th qtr was time for business. BFA had already tasted the blood in the water - and would not allow this win to get away. 4th qtr saw untimely nerve and mental errors keep the game close at first, but ultimately the team grew stronger. Using it's defense to cause havoc, and key plays and players making critical baskets, BFA secured a win with a 7 point lead after a back and forth battle.
Both Milton and BFA teams gained invaluable experience from this game. BFA resisted the urge to 'panic' and 'run wild' when things got close and Milton learned to focus and take one play at a time. "A VERY entertaining nail-biter type of game," some of the fans from both sides saidafterwards.
VARSITY
Varsity girls had a daunting reality hanging over them - they were playing the Division 2 State champs from last year who had MANY returning players.
Scouting reports had Milton stacked with Height, Talent, Speed, and Sharp shooters and they soon proved it.
1st qtr saw BFA making small errors yet keeping pace for the first part. Towards the second half of the qtr though, one could see the mental poise they did have starting to wane. Milton was only up by 12 after 1 qtr. 2nd qtr saw BFA play a bit better at first, but by periods end, mental poise again started to fade. To be fair - it's hard to keep focused and striving to do better when your best is cancelled out by players who out weigh your own by 20+ pounds + and 1 foot in height. Even good position on defense is cancelled out at that point.
At half time Coach Driscoll discussed the realities, and building on them what goals he'd like to see of his team. The BFA girls did come out and play some better basketball, making the adjustments Coach Jim had spoke of. Unfortunately, Milton had just used the first half as warm-up. They started shooting and hitting a high percentage of their shots - 2's, 3's and foul. Coach Jim just focused on what hey could do and tried to build on that - and there was some shining moments from BFA in the second half.
Milton IS 1 of 2 tough teams this year for BFA and we won't see them again ( thank the heavens) :)
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JV started off the game a little cold, going a good 3.5 minutes without a basket as Williamstown scored 6. Defense was, as always are saving grace, as we quickly started creating & converting turnovers to get back in the game. Sloppy play from BFA gave williamstown too many opportunities.
End of 1st - 12-11 Williamstown.
2nd qtr saw BFA calm down, and start playing smarter basketball. Offense drove to basket and drew fouls. Some players other than the usual top performers stepped up with some big time shooting. The Blue Devils wouldn't go away peacefully though, as the game would prove.
End of 2nd BFA up by 4.
3rd qtr, though historically a strong qtr for JV, was flat for BFA. Lax on defense, sloppy on offense again - the girls need to continue to work on retaining focus on the task at hand.
End of 3rd qtr, BFA is up by 3
4th qtr saw a surge in BFA again, Williamstown did a great job matching it for the most part. BFA had great press pressure and WIlliamstown would show great poise and break it.
BFA's #15-F was a huge force to be reckoning with on the boards, pulling down 10 pivotal boards herself, and in aggressiveness causing the other team a lot of havoc. Not to mention her 8 pts, and 5 steals. #23-PG showed great poise under pressure, controlled the ball well, broke the press with ease, and threw in 12 pts, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. #14 used her energy and speed to get 7 steals, create turnovers on the press and contribute 6 pts. #3-PG, played some good solid basketball as well, breaking the press well and adding 6 pts.
All but 2 BFA players scored - the 2 who didn't played crucial minutes - providing great Defense in the paint and on the post.
JV is now has a 2-1 record.
Varsity
Varsity started out a little anxious - forcing some bad passes and making some key mistakes. it wasn't long until the Blue Devils jumped out to a 6-0 lead. After a TO, BFA came out playing a bit better, but were still plagued by mental errors - which equate to Turnovers more often than not - and TO's WILL BE converted by good teams.
Varsity saw and up and down battle - trailing as much as 13 pts and getting as close as 5 pts, but could never establish a long enough run to shift the momentum of Williamstown.
In traditonal BFA style, the girls battled to the end and kept their heads up. The silver lining is that in EVERY game thus far there's progress and that's what it's all about. It's defiitely a good thing.
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JV
JV started strong and quickly established command over winooski. outnumbering them 11-6, BFA used rotations of fresh legs to their advantage. The spartans, in less competative phase, was visibly struggling, thus BFA pulled back on the throttle a bit, opting instend to work on certain aspects of their game needing more work.
A game for support staff to really get some good playing time and looks, BFA dominated throughout. Closing the game with an EXTREMELY reserved 38-9 victory and extending their winning streak to 3 and record to 3-1.
Varsity
BFA Varsity girls started out strong in the 1st, going up 6-o bu mid quarter.
Their focus and mental poise would soon begin to waiver and thus they let winooski back in the game. By half time Winooski had erased their deficit and established a 14-12 lead.
Coach Driscoll, delivered a helthy dose of reality to the players at half time, stating it wasn't a question of skill at that poitn, it was a question of Mental focus and pride. The Varsity girls needed to hear the frim voice of reason, as they started out stronger in the 3rd. Though mental errors still occurred, BFA was better at keeping an over all focus throughout the 3rd and most of the 4th.
End of the fourth saw somewhat of a breakdown mentally for BFA, but a time out and intenisty adjustment, allowed BFA to secure a 3 pt lead for victory.
Stay Tuned for Game #5 @ Twinfield.
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Though Twinfield HS was closed for classes yesterday, The BFA Girls JV & V trudged down to make their rescheduled match.
JV started out smart. Limiting mistakes and playing some tough albeit holey defense. Except for 3 good players, it seemed as though JV would keep the match close and the Trojans under control, but towards the end of the 1st, BFA showed weakeness. end of 1st qtr - 13-8 Twinfield. The slide continued for Bullets JV squad throughout the second, with BFA making bad passes, costly decisions, and slack defense. Twinfield quickly capitalized on the BFA's lack of focus and jumped to a 17 pt lead before BFA woke-up.
End of 2nd - 27-12 Twinfield.
Half time was all about simplicity. Doing simple little things that add up to a lot. Smart bounces passes, squaring up everytime you've got the ball, and of COURSE - our usual DOG defense. The BFA JV girls showed a MAJOR gut check by closing out the 3rd on a 10-2 run.
Beginning of the 4th and BFA is down by 7 and working. A few lapses in judgement and whamo - back down by 10. Try and BFA did, they couldn't close the gap further.
Alll in all, a good learning experience. JV continues to get better at the mental aspect of the game and as ALWAYS never gives up. Seeign twinfield beat us by 20 last year - even with our heart and surges, it was a good showing and, with 8 less turnovers, winnable.
Varsity
The Lady Bullets came out strong and fast against the trojans. They took a quick lead from Olivia Root & Casey Bascweski's good shooting and protected it for a time. Then some lapses in defense allowed twinfield back in it. Going into half, BFA was up by 2.
Second half showed BFA makes some mistakes, but keep focused on task. It also saw the continued aerial assault by Bascweski and Root, as well as their and Maureen McGuinnesses' fierce defensive ground assualt. One could see a much more relaxed McGuinness right out of the gates.
Hope Towle, contributed some BIG TIME rebounds and Key foul shots down the stretch to cap her 9 pt performance.
BFA Varsity saw a fierce battle under the boards, and in the middle but maintained their poise long enough to seal a win.
Second half was
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As of 7:00 12/30/08, the Lake Region game for tonight is STILL ON. Lake Region will be one of the Toughest opponents for Girls Basketball this season, if not THE TOUGHEST. Both JV and Varsity squads face an uphill battle against Lake Region Teams that have speed, size, good shooters, and great defenders. BFA will need to bring their "A" game and then super charge it for tonight's match.
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JV
JV girls started out strong on defense, holding Lake Region to no points in the first 4 minutes of the game. The game plan was to deny fast breaks, and make them earn every point they got. Defense slid a bit after the 4:00 mark - probably because of all the holiday rest and food. :) lake region's shots started going in at this point aswell. end of 1st saw a 10-0 Lake Region lead.
2nd started out better, with BFA playing smart defnese again, and taking to the basket. Unfortunately, Lake Regions shooting just got better, they started hitting from the 10+ foot range which made defending that range a lot more tiring.
The game just continued to slide away from us as we had virtually no offensive structure. If you can't score, you can't win as they say - thus was the case with us tonight. To be fair, BFA was without their starting point guard, which played a big roll in our lack of offense. We'll look to strengthen our depth in that position and next meeting take it to Lake Region. The silver lining in NOT having our Point Guard there - is that next meeting, they're going to think we're an easy team - which just may give us the opportunity to turn the tables on them.
Varsity
The varsity squad was in even a worse situation with lack of personelle with 3 players missing - including a starter and 2 key players from the depth chart. Coach Driscoll knew Lake Region was a phenominal team with great ball-handlers, defenders, and shooters. One could see it as well in the first few minutes.
BFA started out flat on offense, made a few turnovers and looked defeated at one point - and only in the first. BUT, in typical BFA style, the varsity girls refused to give up or lose their grit. BFA worked harder and harder over throughout the game, and jump started a their game. Ally Airoldi had a huge game on offense dumping in 6 pts and playing some good defense against the 6'3" forward of lake region. Hope Towle played really well against the towering opponent as well and scored the first points for BFA. As usual, Casey B made some big shots to fuel her teams spirits as did Olivia Root. Laura Bellack played some good defense and minutes as did Paige Gardell - adding a basket at a buzzer. Sam Schraven played some fierce defense as well. Steph Carr played a great game inside and made some crucial rebounds for BFA. Most notably - BFA never gives up or loses spirits - they go out there and work their tales off every minute of the game.
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JV
The JV girls anticipate a battle against Enosburg everytime they play them, and this season's 1st meeting didn't disappoint. The BFA JV Girls knew that they'd need to bring lots of energy, perserverance, and mental poise to the floor if they wanted to compete.
1st qtr opened with with BFA playing some great defense but a little sloppy or rushed on offense. BFA called a timeout to focus themselves after a 2 pt deficit grew to a 6-0 deficit. Coach explained the deal again to the players, he'll call the timeouts, address the fixes and refocus the players attentions - the players need to MAKE the adjustments in game. BFA came out visually improved making better decisions on both sides of the ball and playing a deny defense inside. Then, the offense woke up - first with several players driving to the basket and drawing the foul. THEN by Ashley Benard sinking a 3. it wasn't long before BFA tied it.
2nd qtr saw BFA on some up's and downs - making some great plays but not finishing off with pts or some breakdowns on defense that gave Enosburg leads. BFA never went down by more than six and lead by as much as 4 throughout the game.
In the final minutes BFA had the lead by 4, went down by 2 and then went back up by 2 with 1:20 left. Enosburg managed to make a great defensive stop and then tie the game up with 1:00 minute left. at 45 seconds they hit an outside shot and went up by 2. BFA got the ball back 3x in that 40 seconds but couldn't manage to get it out of the forecourt ( once due to an injury and twice due to great defense by Enosburg). Enosburg won 32-30.
Though not the sought WIN, the battle on both sides sure made for a great game to watch - as one could tell by the crowd which was abnormally large for a JV game. The BFA JV Girls, consisting of 9 freshman, and 1 sophomore, are definitely a maturing and fun bunch to watch. Look for their next game on 1/8 vs Danville at HOME at 5:30.
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As of now, the Game is still on. Please come out and support your hard-working JV and Varsity Girls basketball team.
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JV
WOA! what a snow day can do to momentum. Though i love mini-vacations myself, they REALLY disrupt the learning process. Anyone having attended the Enosburg game could see, the JV girls were just plain flat on offense. Even their usual solid defense was a bit creaky. It wasn't long before a timeout was needed. There was ab obvious difference in skill levels between Danville and Fairfax, and it was certainly in BFA's favor, yet the JV girls just couldn't seem to get thing working right. There was some obvious distractions, but it just didn't make sense.
The first quarter saw some ok defense, some good plays with no points resulting, and dismal shooting from outside. end of 1 it was 7-6 BFA.
Though BFA's defense indeed improved to almost it's potential fervor, but offense remained elusive throughout the next 2 qtrs only adding 5 more points. The Half time talk with the girls was more about mindsets and gut checks than X's and O's.
4th qtr started more of the same. The highlight of the game to this point is BFA's depth on the bench. As of the last 2-3 games the players coming in off the bench have made major contributions in the game and as a result have seen more and more playing time. This game was no different, with our depth providing great inspiration and momentum for our struggling 5. Second half of the 4th qtr finally saw the 'strugglign 5' wake-up and clear the fog. They went on 14 pt run caused by a defensive explosion. In the last few minutes, those who built our teams motivation and momentum from nothing in this game, were in there to seal the voctory for us.
BFA held Danville scoreless for 3 qtrs, and finished 31-6 at the buzzer.
Varsity
The Varsity girls had a big task ahead of them - big as in a big Danville line-up. Even the guards were big, but fast.
BFA Started out good. Playing hard and making some key shots, including a 3 from Olivia Root. But the pace of necessary defense to compete was again just out of BFA's reach. To be fair, Danville has some great shooters and DO NOT MISS LAY-UPS and SHORT PUT-INS. It all comes down to shooting too, got to make them to score.
Danville started pulling away in the second, going into halftime up by 10. Coach Jim spoke about ability and learning at half time. He talked about where the grils can succeed and where their challenges lie. Afetr that it's about helping them get to a place where they want to go back out and battle until the end, which they did.
The remaining 2 qtrs though saw Danville continue to shoot well, especially from the charity stripe. Foul-calling was atrocious in this game, by that i mean, unbalanced. You can't call nit-pick fouls on one team, and only the obviously flagrant on the other - that's taking the game out of the hands of the players and putting intot the hands of the officials - which should only be done in cases of safety.
This issue came to a head when # 21 on BFA was finally elbowed in the face - plain and obvious and the reaction from the crowd and coaches obviously queued the refs in on what they'd been missing. One of them told Coach Jim to stop tryign to tell them how to officiate and wait for the call. Coach Jim hadn't said boo to him the whole game and only said once to the other that 23 was camping. nothign was disrespectful in the least.
In typical BFA fashion, we continued to battle to the end, and the players kept their heads up as they always do. WIth the amoutn of inexperience on the team, it was known that it would be a season of learning and scraping for every victory. the girls know it and the fans know it. All we can do is continue to support them and will them to do their best.
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JV
The BFA JV Girls have ahd a rough roller coaster week of Basketball. A great game on Tuesday vs Enosburg that came down to the final seconds. Then a Sluggish start ( no thanks to the snow day), but porgressivelty better ending - resulting in a big win vs Danville on Thursday. And then Saturday's game. Hmmm Where to begin.
BFA Girls started out strong - quickly putting an 8-0 lead on the board. The girls passed well, ran plays, played fierce deny defense, ran a great press that caused a lot of turnovers for the other team, and shot well. End of first BFA had an 8 pt lead.
Second qtr started strong for BFA with them extending their lead to 15. But the second half of the qtr found BFA lose focus and fall into a bit of a mental lapse.
BFA hit a shot at the buzzer though to send the girls into half spirits up.
3rd qtr BFA made some inopportune fouls and Williamstown hit some key FT's in the long haul - they shot 12-29 from the charity stripe compared to 5 for 21 for BFA. Slowly, Williamstown clawed their way back to with in single digits of BFA by the end of the 3rd.
4th qtr the battle wages on, BFA hasn't heard from a ref on a shooting foul until this point - which was absurd to say the least. BFA starts driving at Williamstown and drawing some fouls to shoot. Defense broke down a bit outside and Williamstown took advantge of the weakspot - hitting key shots from there. BFA saw their lead disappear quickly and then dig a 6 pt deficit. Coach Banach called multiple time outs in the final minutes, pumping his players up and getting them focused and ready for the final battles. BFA did fight as hard as they could through the end of the game - tieing it back up, going up by one, down by one and then finally down by 3. BFA was poised to score with 15 seconds left, but turned it over. They battled on the inbound and got it back via a Jump ball with 8 seconds left. BFA inbounded it, and then got caught up in another Jump Ball - losing possesion to Williamstown. Despite a valiant attempt, that was it for BFA.
These BFA JV Girls have been playing some great basketball - still young and making youth mistakes, but definitely maturing and proving they can compete with anyone if they DECIDE to. Look to Tuesday's Game vs Peoples at Home for another hard fought battle by Your BFA JV and Varsity Girls basketball teams.
.... No varsity highlights due to absence.
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JV
JV started out smart for the most part. Good passes, good movement, and good defense were apparent - but BFA quickly realized People's strategy - sit back in a zone and make us play half court offense - not the strongest point of our game. People's zone wasn't bad - but was prone to mistakes - as BFA found a few early weaknesses and capitalized. But those areas dried up quick for BFA and a back and forth battle ensued which lasted much of the game. End of the 1st BFA up 6-4.
2nd qtr proved to be flat for BFA, and People's taking advantage of BFA mistakes. Going into the half BFA was down by 2 after a People's surge.
Coach Banach spoke about fundamentals as always. Smart passes, use fakes, and drive to the basket. Never mind the officiating - i couldn't find it. As always the girls rose their energy levels and focused in on how to improve.
3rd qtr saw BFA come out strong, and limit mistakes as much as possible. #5 Danielle Sweet, having injured her finger ( later to be found fractured) refused to let her injury bring her down and played the best basketball she has all season - ferocious on defense and crisp with the passes and hustle on Offense. BFA went on a 9-4 run to end the 3rd. BFA 15 -12.
4th qtr was more of the same - back and forth mistakes, back and forth awesome plays, back and forth steals/Turnovers. the only thing consistent was the quality or rather lack their of, of officiating. BFA managed to keep ahead for the whole 4th and had a 4 pt lead going into the final minutes. Coach Banach called a Time out with 53.3 seconds to go and spoke about playing good straight up defense and moving ball around on offense more to kill time. BFA made a quick foul where only 1 shot was made. an injury time out at 40 seconds allowed Coach Banach to stress the time - kill strategy. BFA played hard and smart and only allowed People's one more shot after that mark, holding them to a 19-17 defeat. Once AGAIN the JV girls bring their hussle and determination to the floor to make a great game and will their own victory this time around.
Varsity.
The varsity girls looked visibly more prepared than usual for a People's team that wore their lack-kuster motivations on their sleeves. BFA used it's fierce and energetic defense to open up a nice lead to start the first and went into half up substanionally.
Noticeably different - body language. BFA looked confident and moved the ball well. The "Bigs" battled for every ball under the hioop and we were shooting better from the outside.
I wan't their for 2nd half - but heard that Peoples starting shooting better in the second half and started to close on BFA, but our girls were able to match pace for the most part. BFA won by a safe margin and enjoyed yet another win in this tough season.
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JV
JV traveled to Richford without 2 players, making it a small unit of 8. Cold, bumpy bus ride over. Soon after Warm-ups, it was apparent that #14 wasn't feeling well. She had to sit in warm-ups and didn't feel well enough to play thus JV were down to 7 players.
1st qtr saw BFA play Patient offense, passing well against an average zone and finding some points on the post, off weaknesses in the zone, and some charity stripes visits. Defense was palying well - great movement, great transistion and pretty well on the press despite not having the usual personel. Richford made the first basket, and that was the last time they would lead. end of 1st 8-2.
2nd qtr saw BFA get stronger on the press, and really start to exploit the zone - either getting some great drives to the basket or some good outside shooting. Defense continued to play well. Substituting was challenging with only 2 subs, but Coach Moore had a very tactical approach that seemed to minimize the lack of fresh legs for the most part. End of second 19-8.
Half time talk was about mental poise, continued deffensive assault and keeping focused.
3rd Qtr was offensively flat for BFA, but their defense as always came out stronger and really made Richford work for any points. end of 3rd was 26-13.
4th qtr - sub situation starts to take it's toll - We see a lot of tires legs out there - compared to the beginning of the game. As a result, the BFA JV girls were absolutely flat on offense and a littler too slack on defense. To be fair, Richford came out int he 4th with a fervor they hadn't had all game, i think it was a good game plan to exploit our sub issue, but these JV girls don't go down without a fight. the lead dropped to just 6 pts for BFA, weariness apparent and panic creeping in, a time-out was called. Coach Banach explained that with 2 minutes left, takign time off the clock shoudl be the goal - lot's of good passes and movement on offense and NO GAMBLES on Defense. BFA managed to hold Richford at the 20 point mark and towards the end of the qtr, #5 Danielle sweet borke the scoring ice sinking 2 fromt eh charity stripe. The JV girls won 28-20 and are now 6-5 for the season. AND looking forward to a nice week break from games to nurse injuires, get healthy, and get back into a good flow in preparation for Hazen at Home on 1/27.
Varsity
The Varsity girls have seen some pretty good pregress as of late. Good inside defense, good rebounding, and some decent shooting. Last night was a continuation of their ascent.
1st qtr saw BFA come out feeling confident, making minimal mistakes, and moving the ball well. Olivia Root hit a big 3 in the beginning and Casey B hit a nice outside jumper. Malrissa Perkins shooting and driving well from the baseline, hitting a big 3 and playing great defense. Defense moved, was aggresive, and caused havoc. By Half time, BFA had used some good shooting, great drive to the basket and Charity stripe accuaracy to establish a 16 point lead.
BFA didn't look back the rest of the game, finding Root again for another 3 and Casey B hitting some beautiful shots outside. Hope Towel hit some great FT's and made a few good put-backs. All inall a great game for BFA where they asserted themselves and kept Richford under pressure the whole game.
Both BFA teams are coming off Multiple wins in the past few weeks and are starting to hit a good stride.
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JV
The JV Girls had a tough go at it this game. As always the BFA girls fought every step of the way.
1st qtr - BFA falls 4 behind for the first half of it. Hazen was creating holes in our zone using baseline pentration and passing off inside for the east jumper. By the end of the 1st, the JV girls had dug themselves a bit of a hole with a 6-15 defecit.
2nd qtr saw BFA come out in typical corrective fashion and start to take away that inside shot, and make some of their own using a press and surging defense. going into the half, BFA was trailing by 18-27.
3rd qtr BFA stopped the inside shot of Hazen altogether, but then succumbed to the outside shooting barrage. towards the end of the 3rd, #15 - Renata Flanigan, Captain/leader/pillar of ferocity, went down with a sprained ankle - the same she fractuered last year. Hazen went on a 16-7 run to finish the qtr with a 43-25 lead.
4th qtr - the JV girls fell apart a little here, perhaps mentally distracted by their captains injury, maybe distracted by the officiating, but none the less hit a wall offesnively. Evyn Banach came out for a majority of the period having been elbowed hard in the jaw - though she went back in, she wasn't the same. Hazen went on a 12-0 run to finish the game 55-25.
The JV girls will look to refocus their efforts and learn from their defeat, and prepare for a tough road stretch next week vs Lake Region and Peoples.
Varsity
the Varsity Girls started out better than JV for sure. Their defense played well and limited inside opportunities after a quick 4 pt run by hazen in the 1st. it seemed as though BFA could take advantage of some speed issues with Hazen's transition, butit never materialized. Maureen McGuiness took control int he 1st driving to the basket 2x for 4 quick points.
Going into half, BFA was down by 13-14. Coach Jim talked about how the girls have played fairly well but could shore up their defense and bring some more energy to the second half.
Unfortunately, BFA came out in the third qte heading in the wrong direction. hazen was asserting itself better out side and inside. they were out -reboundign us on the defensive boards almost everytime. 3rd qtr ended without BFA having made 1 basket - hazen dumped in 11 pts.
4th qtr saw BFA's defense continue to slip - with Hazen controlling the defensive boards and working their transition offense well.
The Varsity girls lost by an 18 pt margin in the end, never really recouping from the 3rd qtr deflation. Look for them to go back to the basics, and renew their energy for the long trip to Lake Region next week.
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JV
JV, finally being back up to full strength after havign 2 main players hurt during the Hazen and Lake Region games, were up to the challenge of 'handling' Peoples. The BFA JV girls started out solid on defense but a little stale on offense. Afer an exchange of baskets in the 1st, BFA used their defense to attain a 4 pt lead at qtrs end.
The second saw BFA hold a minimal level of activity, but play solid defense and keep poised. Though the JV girls were shut out pt wise, they held Peoples to only 4 pts. again
At half time Coach Banach spoke about 'fine-tuning' about the need for everyone to play the way they're capable of. It all starts with energy and not being lazy.
Though BFA started the 3 well on offense, defense floundered a bit - mainly due to lack of patience. There's a few players for BFA that love to be agrressive and sometimes teams can use that against you. By the end of the 3rd Peoples had a 3 pt lead, out scoring BFA 7-4.
A good thing the JV girls are getting this year is, remaining poised mentally - not giving in to worry or panic. This was true for this game as BFA started the 4th with a scratch and claw back into it offensively and used stifling defense to both shut them down and Intimidate them offensively. The plan worked as BFA went on a 9-2 run and killed time in the end to protect the lead.
JV girls this year aren't getting pushed around as much as last year. With several strong players, they're doing their fair share of muscling other teams and players. Look to the Up coming home games, including Winooski and Richford for the JV girls to exert their dominance.
Varsity
The Varsity Girls started out well. They played energetic defense which really caused probelms for Peoples. Hope did a good job of knowing where their strong player in the middle was and kept her touches of the ball minimal. BFA couldn't get any love from the shooting or lay-up gods and missed a sizeable percentage - all game long. By hlaf The varsity was only down a few points - a a good battle to that point.
Varsity girls came out a little lethargic on defense in the 3rd and peoples ran off a quick few baskets. BFA was staying close though and just needed something to reignite their fire - but at the most inopportunr time, Hope rolled her ankle pretty badly. the game was stoped for about 15 minutes as a nurse in the crowd helped out. She was definitely out for the game ( if not rest of the season)
Unfortunately, as mentioned, this wasn't the 'something' BFA needed to reginite the fire - it actually doused any embers that may have been still smoldering. The varsity girls went on a run of sloppy passing, sloppy defense and forced/borderlien paniced shots. Peoples extended their lead to 12 by the middle of the 4th before BFA shored up it's defense but by then the damage was done.
The BFA varsity Girls have had a tough season, they're main goal has ne to compete - and thet have competed in EVERY game they've played at least a few minutes of it. They've had some heartbreakers as well. Coach Jim continues to focus on their development and and keepign spirits up.
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JV
Not knowing much about Northfield this season and knowing how much teams can change ( northfield only had 2 returning players from last season) from season to season, the JV Girls prepared for a much higher caliber team. One could see BFA's drive and hunger early on in the 1st qtr when they opened with a 10-0 run. Soon after BFA took off the press and opted to play some great zone defense against Northfield. The BFA girls had momentary lapses of laziness or sloppy passes throughout the game, forgetting no matter what they need to remain focused and at full throttle regardless of the strategy. A planned 3 pointer at the buzzer closed out the 1st. end of first was 13-4 BFA.
2nd qtr saw BFA continue to work on it's perimeter zone and iron out offensive plays. Great defensive plays leading to even better transitional scoring was prominent throughout the game. The JV girls played intense, full throttle basketball, while still keeping an eye on ethical practices vs Northfield. End of 2nd - 23-7 BFA
Half time was about praising the good and emphasizing how to fix the not so good. Then it was time to get back out there.
3rd qtr saw BFA work on passing and good play format on Offense and position and movement on Degense - holding Northfield scoreless the whole period and dumping in 6 themselves. End of 3rd - 29-11.
4th qtr was more of the same - be as ethical as possible - thus no pressing - just good ball movement and precision cuts. The JV girls - having been in situations where the team is still trying to score as much as they can in the 4th - even with a guaranteed win, did not want to perpetuate that sort of behavior - thus they concentrated on killing time more than scoring. If an awesome opportunity opened up they were to take advantage.
FINAL score was 33-16 BFA. The JV girls are now on a 2 game winning streak - soon to be 3 after thursday nights hosting of Winooski. With Enosburg next tuesday, the JV Girls will be working on improving their defensive even more, and tightening their offensive game.
Varsity soon to come.....
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JV
The JV easily won in the first meeting of the teams back in December, displaying their season-long solid and agressive defense. Much more fluent this time around was their press, transitional defense and their offense.
1st qtr saw BFA open a 10-0 lead by using their press and stifling interior defense. BFA closed the qtr holding Winooski scoreless.
2nd qtr saw BFA take off the press and work on their offensie in preparation ofr tuesday's big game. There's certain areas that always need work - and this was as good a time as any to do it. Though only scoring 3 pts and allowing 2 pts to winooski, the 2nd qtr was a good practice and display of the fundamentals. 13-2 BFA.
3rd qtr was about being able to 'turn it on, and turn it up' after being dormant for a while. The People's game, where the JV's were flat and quiet for the 2nd and 3rd and then lit it up in the 4th, was an indicator that facet of the game needed work. BFA didn't falter though dumping in 8 pts. Winooski, scored 6 pts riding a wave of confidence and solid passing. end of the 3rd 21-8 BFA.
4th qtr again was about just doing what we could do on the floor. Certain combinations of players have certain abilities and that must be considered. Thus BFA worked on the fundamentals and scored 3 pts and held winooski to 2. Final score was 24-10 BFA.
Th JVs were consdierably stronger in scoring and defense then their showing. A lot of attention is paid to sportspersonship, ethics, and spirit of the game. These sorts of games really allow teams to develop their support staff and weaker areas of their game.
Varsity
The game begun with BFA a little jitterly - some 'nervey' type of mistakes. Game was close btu BFA led going intot he second. Ashley Benard started the second, and almost instantly injected BFA witht he energy it needed to awaken. making several steals and applying intensive pressure, which caused havoc on Winnoski, BFA started to play the type of game they're capable of. Ashley dumped in 4 pts and had 2 rebounds. Renata Flanigan went in soon after Ashley and borught a rebounding presence and an additional 'steal' element to the game. Renata pulled down 6 rebounds and scored 6 pts.
BAD news - Casey Baczewski, team captain and heart and Soul of thsi Varsity squad, went down with a bad ankle sprain. Severity is still uncertain - but it's possible it's season-ending. Casey Dumped in 14 pts in the first half before being injured, and was the only pulse for BFA early on at some points.
3rd qtr BFA was a little flat but managed to maintain a sizeable lead. Maureen McGuinees had some big time steals and added some baskets in the 3rd and fourth qtr to add to BFA's defensive and offensive barrage. Ashley Benard played the whole qtr and added 6 more pts, 2 rebounds, and 6 steals to contribute.
4t qtr saw BFA open another JAR 'O" aggression on Winnoski. Renata Flanigan scored 6 more pts and ripped down 5 more rebounds. Maureen McGuinness, Malrissa Perkins, Olivia Root all contributed with baskets, Great defense, and good poise. Allye Airoldi helped frustrate the Winooski Fwds and keep them to minimal pts. Stephanie Carr played inspired defense, made some great passes, And took a HUGE charge before halftime to help fire her team up.
The Varsity girls got to have some fun last night which is always a great way to break up a season of development. Coach Driscoll was pleased with his teams performance overall and psyched they were able to have so much funand enjoy themselves.
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JV
The Enosburg was lookign to be more and more of a challenge than previously thought in the days and practices leading up to it. Some kids were out sick and some were trying their best to tough it out.
Game day didn't hold any better news for the JVs as their departure time was moved up in order to alot them more tiem to warm-up - but they still left late and thus only had 10 minutes to wamr-up. I beleive a combination of the missing players, the ones playing sick and thus not at full strength, and the lack of normal routine affected this young teams mindset and poise.
by the 6:30 mark in the 1st the scrore was 10-0 Enosburg - BFA's shooting was flat and defense was lacking. The good news is that from the 6:30 in the 1st qtr mark until the 3:00 mark in the second, BFA held enosburg scoreless.
3rd qtr saw BFA try to battle back - but nerves would stymie any attempt to make a run.
4th Qtr saw Enosburg widen their lead and continue to control BFA, although from teh exterior now instead of the interior.
The JV girls have grown a lot since the firstr meeting and did seek to even the score, but as sometimes happens with young crews, understanding and focusing on how much MORE work it takes to prepare for a second meeting doesn't always compute. The JV's will look to even the score next year.
Varsity
The Varsity had no delusions about playign the #2 seed in Div 3. they had goals and wanted everyoen to play. JV freshman Ashley Benard and sophomore Renata Flanigan played up again and helped with defense, scoring and reboudnign where they could, but BFA still endured a beating.
All varsity players played though and all kept their heads high after the thumping.
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JV
The JV girls were limping into their second meeting with Richford, having 2 kids out sick - Starting point Guard Evyn Banach, and Interior Dominator Lyndsey Wells. Hannah Gerke, our forward with a nice shot, went on Vacation early. Both Renata Flanigan and Ashley Benard were also on loan to varsity - thus only eligible for 2 qtrs with JV. Coach Banach and Moore prepared their squad on Wednesday night for the different scenarios well.
Game day had some good news for the JV squad - Point Guard Kaysie Unwin, sorely missed in the Enosburg rematch, was back to school and feeling a lot better. BFA defintiely benefited from her presence.
1st qtr saw BFA enact their game plan to control the game by slowing the pace. BFA passed the ball well and looked for key shots which didn't come easy. Some foul shooting propelled BFA early and jump staretd an otherwise slow start offensively. end of 1st - BFA 5-4
2nd qtr saw BFA open it up offesively a bit - mainly on a defense burst. All in all passing well and pentrating as best they can. Physicality, though worse in past games, was high in this game as was tempers with several BFA players berated by Richford poor sportspersonship. End of 2nd 14-9 BFA.
3rd qtr was a draw with both BFA and Richford slumping on offense - only scoring 3 pts a piece - the main show of the 3rd was the defense on both sides - aggressive and energetic. end of 3rd BFA 17-12.
4th saw a bit of battle ensue as Richford became desperately energetic and aggressive. Tempers contineud to flare, BUT BFA kept their cool and took advanatge of the situation drawing fouls and again slowing the pace down and killing time. Despite some sloppy passing on BFA's part and being outscored by a point in the 4th, the JV girls managed the remainder of the game well and preserved a 20-16 lead for the Win.
The BFA crew that played last night were able to maintain their foucs and mental poise enough to pull the win out. With loss of mental calm, it could've easily been a defeat. Proof enough that the whole JV team has grown significantly since their first game of their season vs Colchester. They end their season with a 10-8 record - having a 2 game longer season and managing 2 more wins than last season. A definite sign of improvement for BFA JVs.
Look to next season for many players to return and pick-up where they left off this year. next season as of now, is shaping up to be another good one for JV.
Varsity victory soon to come.......