Sometimes the best way for a young team to learn is baptism by fire. The Windham Bombers girls’ basketball team survived a rally by Northeastern Athletic Conference Stripes Division rival Saint John, winning 61-55 last Thursday evening on their home Marty Hill Court.
“We had a much better shooting night,” said Coach Jim Collins. “They play hard every night but on Thursday night we just happened to have a better shooting night. The first game of the season, we went five-of-16 from the foul line. It needed to be better and it was better on Thursday night.”
Holding a 32-24 advantage at the beginning of the third quarter, Windham (1-1, 1-0) got off to a slow start, opening the door for the Fighting Heralds to make a run. Senior guard Alyssa Cevera keyed a Saint John rally, outscoring the Bombers 24-19, spurred by Cervera’s 11 points, trimming the lead to 52-48.
“We typically get off to a slow start at halftime but when you are really only eight deep and you play a full-court pressure game, it takes a few minutes to get the legs to regenerate after a few minutes,” acknowledged Windham’s seven-year coach. “It has been a telltale sign for us for the last couple of years.”
According to Collins, senior guard Briah Daniel and freshman guard Makenzi Blockinger took turns guarding Cevera in the fourth quarter and the Windham pair shut her down and stifled Saint John’s offense.
Even when Daniel had to leave the game due to injury in the middle of the quarter, Blockinger continued to play strong defense against Cevera and Windham hung on for its first victory of the season.
“The message was let’s get back to who we are and let’s push the tempo and trap all around the floor,” Collins noted. “One nice thing is that we can put five athletes on the floor. They are athletic so you try to create chaos through your athletic ability so I thought they did a good job in the fourth period.”
Although the Bombers only scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, senior guard Mariah Woods was clutch from the free throw line, going four-for-four and knocking down eight of 10 free throw opportunities in the second half, propelling Windham to victory.
“Mariah’s will to win combined with her basketball IQ and athletic ability not only makes her one of the easiest kids to coach but one of the best kids to watch because she never stops,” said Collins.
The 5-foot-6 guard’s stellar free throw shooting highlighted a game where the Bombers scored 16 points from the charity stripe, a huge difference compared to the season opener when they recorded only five points on free throws.
The Bombers did a good job attacking the paint in the first half, earning 17 trips to the foul line but only shot seven-of-17. Their shooting improved as the game went on, knocking down nine of 13 shots in the second half.
Collins said it was pleasing to see the Bombers enjoy a quicker start in the first quarter compared to their slow start in the season opener.
“It was a little bit of a relief after the slow start on Monday,” he added. “We jumped out of zone and went man-to-man and pressured everywhere and offensively I put the ball in Mariah’s hands and let Mariah control our fate.”
While seniors Woods and the 5-foot-8 Daniel paced Windham, Collins said the underclassmen group of the 5-foot-5 Blockinger, sophomore guard Sydnie Sweet and sophomore forward Brielle Jones also gained valuable experience.
Although the Bombers bring back a talented senior class, they only return three seniors from last year’s squad leaving a lot of playing time for the underclassmen this season. Collins said that while there was a lot of youth on the team this year, that excuse will only last for a couple of games.
“The truth is they are only young for the first handful of games,” he said. “I really do like my squad this year. I like our athletic ability and our grind to win so really the young thing is only a factor for the first five games. After the fifth game, you are a seasoned veteran as much as the next kid on the team because you have already been through the fire.”
Windham improved to 2-1 (2-0) when it defeated NAC Stripes Division foe Lordstown 66-18 in a road game on Monday evening.
Following a home contest against conference rival Chalker on Wednesday night, the Bomber girls will return to the court for a road game against conference foe Bristol in Trumbull County on Dec. 11 at 7.pm.
