MJH Lady Lions League Champions
Week of January 7 - 11
by Leslie Baker
January 18, 2008
The Junior High Lady Lions basketball team had an extremely busy week with five varsity games in one week. However, all of this play was worth it as the Lady Lions were able to capture five wins and the NCAA League Championship.
On Monday, January 7, the girls traveled to Southeast of Saline and defeated the Trojans 42-12. “Southeast tried various defenses against us but these girls had an answer for everything they threw at us,” commented Coach Baker. Scorers were Kara Fraser two, Ashlyn Macy four, Jacy Crosson five, Riley Baker seven, Kelsie Paige and Ally Steinbrock with 12 each. The team had 20 steals and seven assists.
The following night the Lions had a make up game with Republic County at home. After a slow start, the girls turned it up defensively and beat the Buffaloes 36-20. “This team put pressure on us in the first half and fortunately our girls kept their composure and settled in to play our game,” said Coach Baker. Scoring for the Lions were Katie Paige and Crosson two each, Macy five, Steinbrock seven, Baker nine and Kelsie Paige 11. As a team they had 20 steals.
Thursday, January 10, was the first night of the NCAA League Tournament. As the second seed, the Lions hosted Sacred Heart and defeated the Knights 36-6, scoring 24 points in the first quarter. “All eleven players suited up were able to play this game and it was fun to mix up our squads like we do in practice,” commented Coach Baker. The team had 25 steals and seven assists. The scorers were Alyssa Smith, Kenzie Zimmerman one each, Macy, Fraser, Baker and Crosson two each, Katie Paige three, Kelsie Paige 10 and Steinbrock had 12. The Lady Lions had 25 steals and seven assists for the evening.
The Lady Lions traveled to Cuba to play in the League Tournament where they once again faced Southeast of Saline. The Trojans played a tough man-to-man defense in the first quarter and put pressure on the Lions they hadn’t really faced all season. Fortunately, the Lions used their own defensive pressure to hold the Trojans to just 15 total points, winning the game 38-15. “We had a goal of coming home League champions and these girls are true competitors, stepping up when they faced some tough defensive pressure,” commented Coach Baker. The team had 19 steals and six players scoring. They were Zimmerman two, Katie and Kelsie Paige four each, Macy seven, Baker eight and Steinbrock with the game high of thirteen.
The championship game followed, with the Lions once again facing the Beloit Trojans. “Our only loss came to Beloit in the second game of the season. We had defeated them in Beloit by ten, which was their only loss of the season. This was going to be the so-called rubber match to see who really was better,” said Coach Baker. The Lions came out in a very aggressive full court press and then also mixed up their defenses to shut down Beloit’s two top scorers. This enabled the Lady Lions to capture the victory, winning 42-18. Scoring in the final game was Crosson one, Katie Pagie two, Baker three, Steinbrock and Kelsie Paige eight each, Fraser and Macy with 10 each. “I was so very proud of these girls. They worked really hard all season long to keep improving and it showed by how much we were able to beat a quality team like Beloit. I also was so happy with the way they played as a team all year long. It’s a special group and they deserve to be called League Champs!” said Coach Baker.
