COLONY — In sports, so much is defined by the final score of the game and statistics like points-per-game, but for Crest girls’ basketball coach Elaine Holloway defining the success of her program extends far beyond what the scorebook reads at the end of the game.
After losing to Olpe 22-4 in the junior varsity game, Holloway’s eight-person squad — which consists of four freshmen — took the floor for the varsity game.
Just the act of stepping on the floor marks progress for a team that only last year did not have the numbers to field a varsity team and was forced to forfeit their season.
Because of that, “It is a learning year for us,” Holloway said.
The overmatched Lancers quickly fell behind the much more experienced Eagles’ roster and the Eagles pressured the all-freshman backcourt of Camryn Strickler and Regan Godderz forcing numerous turnovers from the youngsters and jumping out to a 48-1 lead with time dwindling down in the first half.
“This team is learning how to play on a varsity team,” Holloway said. “They are becoming mentally strong.”
Despite the enormous deficit and with the end result being clear from nearly the opening tipoff, the Lancers kept racing all around the court.
“A lot of people just see what’s on the floor,” Holloway said. “They don’t see practices, they don’t see the locker room. This team is strong. They care about each other. They work hard every day.”
At the top of the Eagles’ zone defense, Strickler continued to run from Eagle to Eagle to try and force a miscue. Junior center Miranda Golden battled for position on the block every chance she got. The entire team was not going to quit playing just because the score indicated that the game was over.
“They have a lot of heart,” Holloway said.
As the last seconds ticked off the clock in the second quarter, Crest got the ball under their own basket and instead of just taking the ball and making sure they didn’t have yet another first half turnover, the Lancers pushed the ball up the court as fast as they could, as if the game were hanging in the balance.
The ball was swung to the left wing and found the hands of the freshman Godderz. Out of necessity — without time on the clock to do anything else — Godderz rose up and fired a three.
As the ball found the bottom of the net and the game went to halftime with the scoreboard reading 48-4, the Lancer fans cheered their team off the court because of their never-quit attitude.
“Every game, I ask my girls to play hard from beginning to end,” Holloway said. “Do the little things and enjoy the game.”
Holloway said that attitude and heart of her team is why this program will be headed for much better times in the future.
With two juniors, two sophomores and the four freshmen, this Lancer group will have the opportunity to play many more games in a Crest uniform and there may be more rough times like Tuesday’s 71-10 loss, but Crest’s team goals
