Despite Loss Coach Still Happy

By Robert Thomas

On paper it may be a loss for the Central Cyclones senior girls basketball team against the reigning 4A provincial champions the Vanier Spirits.

But for Cyclones head coach Tanya McLean she couldn’t been much happier.

Her young Cyclones team, in their second game of the season, almost went step by step with the Spirits. If it was possible the Spirits had shadows.

VANIER SPIRITS CADY OLSON FIGHTS TOWARDS THE BASKET

“I’m so happy. I’m so impressed. I’m so proud of our team,” McLean said about the 55 - 38 loss to the Spirits.

She said she based her opinion on how much the Cyclones had improved in just one week.

Last week the Cyclones just squeaked by the Assiniboia Rockets in a game best described as blah for a 35 - 29 win on the road.

In week number two the Cyclones came alive against the Spirits something she was excited and proud about.

VANIER SPIRITS WAVERLY DEMASSI (LEFT) MAKES A BIG OVERHAND PASS

“I’m ecstatic. I’m super happy with how they played. They are always inclined to not give up on a game and they did not,” she said.

During the game the Cyclones played aggressive man to man (number to number) in a defensive strategy which potentially could run the Cyclones down faster.

McLean said it was what they “had been preaching at.”

THE GAME WAS OFTEN TIGHT FIGHTING

She said more was on the way as “this is just our second game.”

Playing number to number defense with the much larger Vanier team is actually easier given the size of Moose Jaw and many of the players they’ve scene lots of over the years.

“They know each other. They’ve played against each other for years. They know, they know.”

VANIER SPIRITS KATE WALDENBERG DRIVES DOWN A LANE

McLean did admit they worried about becoming too tired doing the man to man or number to number defence.

“Yeah we did we only had eight players and three were missing, so yes we were concerned about getting tired,” she said.

“We’re super happy about how this game went even down by 17…Vanier shot well but we were right on them all night.”

VANIER SPIRITS KIERA ZIMMERMAN (RIGHT) TAKES A SHOT UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF CENTRAL CYCLONES ELLA FLANAGAN

The difference in the game was Vanier’s shooting well and Central missing “quite a few layups.”

McLean said the team is looking forward to continuously improve throughout the season.

“A lot of them haven’t played the other, so I need to work on them playing together. And just get better every week,” is the team’s goals for the season.