Lady Eagles Finish Season
Photo Credit: Meagan Marstellar
Rachel Maas, Jr. Staff Writer
April 4, 2012
Filed under Sports
The Hubbard Girl’s Varsity Basketball Team finished their season on Monday, February 20th, being defeated in a sectional tournament game at Austintown Fitch High School. The ladies faced West Branch in a tough game that ended with a score of 72-31.
The Lady Eagles Basketball Team entered this year’s season with a lot to adjust to. A new coaching staff was now in place, and with only one returning senior, the team was young and inexperienced. When asked what the team’s greatest struggle was, new head coach Kacie Mosora responded, “Kaitlyn Evans being the only returning letter winner and only player with varsity experience. [The] team was very inexperienced.” Assistant Varsity Coach Christy Reiser also attributed inexperience as one of the team’s weaknesses. “Their greatest struggle to me this year is definitely their lack of knowledge and fundamentals of the game,” she stated. On top of that, the girls were now faced with learning a different way of playing the game. People were talking about the upcoming season, and the talk wasn’t so optimistic. With a tough schedule, some questioned whether the girls would even win a game.
The Lady Eagles started out the season by ending any thoughts of a winless season, defeating Mineral Ridge at in an intensely close game that ended 40-38. The team then went on to lose their next several games, suffering a particularly tough loss at Champion against the always strong Lady Flashes. Hubbard had a good lead going into the second half, but Champion came back and gained a lead in the last few minutes of the game to secure a win. The next win for the Lady Eagles was an away game at Niles McKinley High School against the Red Dragons with a final score of 61-51. This game definitely stuck out to both the coaches and players as one of the highlights of the 2011-2012 season. “[W]e went over to Niles and beat them on their home court,” said Head Coach Mosora. “That game we went 14-14 from the foul line. In all of my playing and coaching days I’ve never seen that happen before.” Assistant Varsity Coach Reiser also noted Niles as the biggest win for the Lady Eagles this season.
The Lady Eagles would go on to win just one more game this season. The girls beat Beaver Local at home with a final score of 59-50. Senior Night was held to honor the team’s one senior, Captain Kaitlyn Evans, at home as the Eagles faced off against Youngstown Christian.
Although the Lady Eagles finished the season with a record of 3-18, the new coaching staff remains positive about this season and excited for what’s to come in the next several years for the team. “We got three more wins than many people thought we’d have,” Coach Mosora mentioned. “Any time a team puts in 110% effort and comes up short over and over again, it can be disheartening,” stated Coach Reiser. However, both Coaches found the team’s greatest attribute to be the persistence and effort put forth by every player. When asked what needed the most improvement, Coach Reiser noted physical strength. Coach Mosora said offense and scoring attacks needed to be a main focus of improving in coming seasons.
This basketball season for Hubbard Girls’ brought a lot of change for the girls, and the coaching staff is focused on the long and rigorous process of building a strong program. Head Coach Mosora summed it up well: “This season went better than expected. It was definitely a learning experience for not only the players but the coaches as well. It’s a working progress, and we’ll eventually get the program where it needs to be.”
We’d like to commend the Lady Eagles and coaching staff on their season as well as Senior Captain Kaitlyn Evans for her strong leadership over the team. Best of luck for next season!
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