Park girls basketball played Benilde-St. Margaret’s Jan. 14. The Red Knights went hard on offense in the beginning of the game, maintaining a strong lead that lasted throughout the game, ultimately ending with a 72-point lead and a win of 101-29.
Head coach John Hayes said although the game didn’t go as planned, the team is looking forward to their upcoming game against Waconia.
“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, we knew Benilde was going to be one of the best teams we faced this year, and they showed us they’re a very good team,” Hayes said. “We have another opportunity on Thursday to battle Waconia and continue to work together as a team.”
Eighth grader Nalani Rusnak said although the loss was substantial, the team had fun with trying to even out the score. She said they’re looking forward to the next game to work on more of their game plays.
“Even though we lost by a lot, it was still fun because we kept trying to get back,” Rusnak said. “We need to bounce back for the next game, really work on more offensive plays and get back on defense so they don’t get transition layups.”
Sophomore Abby Carlson said she thought the game went well but Park kept playing strong and that they need to improve on their defense and offense.
“The game went okay, obviously we lost but we kept good attitudes and continued to work together and try to win,” Carlson said. “We need to get better at getting back on defense, faster transitions and continue to improve all around the court and not get trapped.”
Rusnak said the team has a lot of new players, which impacts the team’s dynamic, but that it hasn’t been a liability. She said the team needs to improve their defense.
“Since we have a lot of new girls this year, it’s a work in progress on teamwork, but we’re doing pretty good for how many new girls we’ve gotten,” Rusnak said. “(We need to work on) passing and raising our hands defensively so they can’t steal straight away.”
Carlson said the team has had a season of improvement on fundamentals, but team chemistry could use work.
“We’re doing pretty good (this season). We’re definitely improving on passing and shot selection, but we still need to work on team chemistry and playing together,” Carlson said.
Hayes said the coaches have been communicating to the team that their focus shouldn’t be playing against the scoreboard. He said the team’s goal this season is to improve both personally and physically.
“What we told the girls in the second half tonight is (that) we’re not playing against the scoreboard,” Hayes said. “Everything we’re doing this season is just us trying to get better, trying to improve who we are as people, as basketball players, every day.”
Park girls basketball’s next game is against New Prague at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at New Prague High School.