Just a tip, the ZOOM function may come in handy if trying to read the top part on this one. Feel free to leave comments on if you agree or disagree with these selections. And just FYI, I did indeed consult most area coaches on who they felt was deserving on the honors.
By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor
As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 11, 2009
The Camden-Frontier girls basketball team got another taste of what it’s like at the regionals level, but that’s all.
Amber Sammons led New Lothrop with 20 points and C-F star Morgan Warfield was held to just three points as the Redskins fell to the Hornets at Lansing Christian.
The Hornets are the defending Class D state champions and C-F head coach Melissa Warfield was certainly impressed with what they brought to the table.
“They’re a very good team and I think we were exhausted by halftime just from trying to play defense,” she said. “They move the ball around a lot and almost everyone can shoot from inside. Every shot they took was either a layup or a 3-pointer.”
On defense she said New Lothrop was equally tough to deal with, making sure Morgan Warfield had the ball in her hands as little as possible.
C-F trailed 17-10 after one quarter and the contest was all but over after a third quarter in which the Hornets outscored the Redskins 15-2.
“It was just one of those nights for our girls, but we’re so young and it’s good to just get the experience,” she said. “We’re hoping the girls liked the little taste of success we had and they’ll want to get in the gym and work hard all summer.”
Ashley Root scored 13 points for the Hornets and Monica Confer added nine.
Danielle Abney led C-F with seven points, Megan Schwartzengraber added six and Effie Spieth and Kara Bryner both scored four.
The Redskins finish the season 15-8 overall.
By RJ WALTERS / Daily News Sports Editor
As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 5, 2009
The Camden-Frontier Redskins have only one thing on their minds — a district championship — thus, taking care of business Wednesday was a necessity.
Against the upstart Will Carleton Academy Cougars, they did just that.
Defense turned into offense all game long for the Redskins and Morgan Warfield led all scorers with 19 points as C-F cruised into the district finals with a 70-29 win over the Cougars.
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but every C-F player scored and three put in double figures in the win.
“It’s kind of two-fold. Because my girls are so young they need a game, because when they just hear the word ‘districts’ I think they get nervous, so it was a good game in that aspect,” C-F head coach Melissa Warfield said. “But it was not such good a game because we tend to play a little lazier…but we’re ready to play Friday.”
The Redskins jumped out to a 26-4 lead thanks to a whole host of transition buckets and despite a second-quarter push from the Cougars the contest was never in question.
Will Carleton was only outscored 18-15 in the second quarter behind strong play from Jamie Davis and Leah Robinson, showing signs of what made it a successful season for Mandy Salsbury’s squad.
The Cougars tied for its league title and won its first-ever district game, against North Adams-Jerome on Monday.
Davis paced the Cougars with 12 points, while Robinson added nine and Cheyenne Hobbs scored eight.
According to Warfield everything comes down to Friday night for the Redskins, will they butt heads with Waldron, who they split with this season.
“I don’t think anything has mattered up until now, other than Friday night’s game.”
Warfield says she knows her team is capable of big things, her girls just have to stay even-keel and stay tough under pressure.
“From my perspective, we just have to be consistent. Morgan has to be on, I need Jackie on, I need Megan on, our big girls need to rebound…everyone has to be there at the same time,” she said.
It also helps that sophomore Effie Spieth, who scored 12 points and had six steals, has stepped up of late, to give the Redskins another weapon.
“I’m extremely proud of her,” Warfield said. “She struggled being the only sophomore left down with the JV group, so I know she’s glad to be up here and she’s a worker and she works hard defensively and I like it because I can get the ball out of Morgan’s hands a little bit, and she doesn’t have to feel so much pressure.”
To go with her 19 points Morgan Warfield added eight rebounds and four assists Wednesday. Jackie Parker scored 16 points and Jasmine Mann tallied five points, seven boards and seven steal.
Friday’s title game will tip off at 7 p.m. at Litchfield High School.
By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor
An exclusive Walters 'n Words blog
Hornet girls down Redskins by 11
The Hillsdale Hornets girls basketball team overcame a 23-point effort from Morgan Warfield to down Camden-Frontier 63-52 at home Tuesday.
With the win the Hornets are now 10-9 overall and they can secure a winning season with a ‘W’ Friday over Albion. Last season Hillsdale won just one game altogether.
On Tuesday five Hornets scored at least six points, including Jackie Anderson who scored 17 and added seven rebounds.
Julie Shaffer added 12 points and Tiki Malone had six points and six steals.
Megan Schwarzebgraber added 11 points for C-F in the non-conference showdown.
--------
PLAYER OF THE DAY: Litchfield Terriers defense
THE FEAT: The Litchfield boys basketball team swiped 20 steals and blocked 11 shots in an 81-13 pounding of Burr Oak Tuesday.
Mike Henley had five steals and Sykes blocked six shots for Litchfield. The Terriers are now 5-6 in SCAA play on the season.
--------
BUZZER-BEATER: Brady Nusbaum hit a shot with just 1.5 seconds remaining to break a 43-all tie and give Camden-Frontier an SCAA victory over North Adams-Jerome. The Redskins overcame a 21-point outing from Rams forward Patrick Humphrey.
---------
STAT STUFFERS FROM THE REST OF THE EVENING'S ACTION:
Points: Jordon Fox, Litchfield — 24, Morgan Warfield, Camden-Frontier — 23, Aubrey Laughlin, Hudson — 18, Ben Olmstead, Quincy — 17.
Rebounds: Sykes, Litchfield — 13, Dustin Truitt, Quincy — 11, Logan Jenkins, Jonesville — 10, Kyle Flint, Jonesville — 10.
Steals: Michael Henley, Litchfield — 5, Jordon Fox, Litchfield — 4, Ben Olmstead, Quincy — 4.
Blocks: Logan Jenkins, Jonesville — 7, Sykes, Litchfield — 6.
Assists: Michael Henley, Litchfield — 4, Kyle Flint, Jonesville — 4.
By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor
As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on Feb. 21, 2009
Colts girls take down Terriers, prepare for pivotal battle with Waldron
The Hillsdale Academy girl’s basketball team didn’t get caught looking ahead as they took down Litchfield 57-39 Friday night.
Now tonight, less than 24 hours later the Colts who are 9-1 in the SCAA host Waldron, the only team who is unblemished in league play.
But first the Colts jumped out to a 33-18 halftime lead on the Terriers to take care of business.
Connaught Blood scored a game-high 24 points, including 12 in the first four minutes of the second half. Shena Albaugh added 11 points and Emily Pewe scored four and added 14 boards.
Laura Thomas led Litchfield with 12 points.
At 7:30 p.m. tonight the Spartans will invade the Academy.
The last time the two teams met Waldron prevailed 40-39 with the Colts failing to get up a last second shot.
Academy coach Jeff Hubbard said he’s telling his girls they are underdogs Saturday, but have a great shot.
“Waldron always seems to find ways to win and we’re kind of underdogs and we’re just going in knowing we have a chance, he said. “It’s hard to tell the girls not to over-emphasize this one though, because we’ve been working on stuff all week.”
Waldron is trying to wrap up its first league title since 1973 and the Academy is clinging to hopes of its first SCAA title ever.
Comet boys now within one game of .500
With three games remaining in the regular season the Jonesville Comets still have a shot at posting a winning record.
The Comets allowed Union City to score 17 points in the second quarter Friday, but only 16 the entire rest of the game in a 39-33 Big Eight home win.
Logan Jenkins put up six points, nine rebounds and five blocks and Mitch Miller tallied 12 points and four assists for the Comets.
Jonesville is now 8-9 overall and 5-6 in Big Eight play.
AcMoody led Union City with 11 points and Mitchell Inman scored eight.
[caption id="attachment_169" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Quincy senior Megan Loveberry hit several key shots down the stretch to help lead the Orioles to a Big Eight road win over Jonesville. Photo by Larry Jose."]
By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor
As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on Feb. 18
The Quincy Orioles played their worst half of basketball this season according to their head coach and trailed by as many as 16 points midway through the third quarter Tuesday, but somehow still pulled out a Big Eight victory.
After going scoreless in the first quarter and putting up only nine points in the first half, the Orioles rallied behind some timely offensive firepower from seniors Megan Loveberry and Krisy Force to pull out a 40-35 road win at Jonesville.
"I just told them great comeback and I was proud of them," Quincy head coach Bob Stewart said. "At halftime I think my comment was 'That's the crappiest half we've played all year and we're only down nine, so you take care of the business you need to and you'll be okay,' and we did.”
The Orioles (11-6 overall, 6-6 Big Eight) didn't even get on the scoreboard until the 6:49 mark of the second quarter, but it mattered little because the Comets couldn't capitalize on their quick start.
Ashlende Teller led the Comets to an 18-9 lead at the intermission with eight points off of strong drives to the lane, but Jonesville's defense went from causing havoc in the first half to losing track of Oriole players in the second.
"I think we lost some intensity in the second half obviously and they knocked down shots they didn't make in the first half," Jonesville head coach Tom Dunn said. "They got open, they hit shots and I don't think we played hard enough on the defensive end, so they deserved to win the game and they outplayed us in the first half."
For the first 20 minutes or so the Orioles settled for contested outside jumpers, but something clicked after the Comets went ahead by as much as 27-11 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
Marissa Wilkinson put in a pair of quick buckets, Loveberry started finding teammates who had open looks and Jonesville "missed some bunnies on the other end" as Dunn put it.
The Orioles finished the period on a 10-0 run and eventually took their first lead of the contest on a Loveberry triple with 4:45 remaining.
It was a big basket from the senior after a night full of shots that fell short and few good scoring chances.
"Tom and I were talking about this before hand, that if she has a game where she shoots poorly she does other things well and involves other people and gets rebounds and steals and I'm sure she still did a pretty doggone job," Stewart said.
To help her out Force knocked down several key free-throw line jump shots and the Comets couldn't draw closer than three in the final two minutes.
"We knew that they were going to have to either guard Megan down on the blocks or Krisy at the elbow or our perimeter people and I think we made them make some decisions and it paid off," Stewart said.
Loveberry finished the contest with a game-high 13 points, Force added nine and Sarah Denning pitched in eight for Quincy.
For Jonesville Teller scored 12 and had four steals, while Shaila Rossman tallied six points and 10 boards.
The two teams will butt heads against on March 2 in the first round of districts at Quincy.
"The girls know it's going to be a war the third time and we're just going to go get 'em the best we can," Dunn said. "I expect it's going to be a backyard brawl. We got complacent when we got a lead and we've got to learn we can't do that."
By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor
As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on Feb. 14, 2009
Fans who like to see immediate results need to find out the modes and methods of Hillsdale girl’s basketball coach Nick Langston.
After winning a total of three games the past two years combined, the Hornets have quickly figured out how to win and are still alive in the hunt for an SMAA title in Langston’s first season.
The Hornets hung on for a 46-45 home win Friday night behind 14 points and four boards from Tiki Malone and now sit at 6-3 in the conference and 8-8 overall.
The Hornets trailed by three at halftime, but took a one-point lead into the final quarter and it stayed that way.
Western nearly upended Hillsdale in the final moments, but Stefanie Skiendziel came up with a big steal late and hit a pair of free throws to give the Hornets a four-point lead and they hit just enough free throws to pull out the win.
Jackie Anderson scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Skiendziel tallied eight of each.
Julie Shaffer was held to six points, but added three assists.
Burdick led Western with 17 points and Barday added 12.
By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor
As published in the Feb. 4, 2009 edition of the Hillsdale Daily News
For all intensive purposes, one horse made the SCAA a two-horse race in girl’s basketball Tuesday night.
The Hillsdale Academy Colts staved off a second-half rally by the Camden-Frontier Redskins 56-52, to improve to 8-0 in league play, the identical mark of Waldron coming into this week.
“We obviously knew Camden was an excellent ball club and this is a big win for us,” Academy coach Jeff Hubbard said. “We really had to get by them to make our games count down the stretch.”
With the loss C-F is now 5-3 in SCAA play, three games behind the co-leaders.
This battle started off slowly, with the Redskins getting out to an 8-5 lead after one quarter.
The Colts’ Connaught Blood and Redskins’ Morgan Warfield, both team’s top scorers were held scoreless and Hubbard said both teams were kind of tight.
Blood took control in the second quarter though, going off for 13 points, helping lead her team to a 24-20 halftime lead.
The Colts went ahead by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but the Redskins rallied late to pull within one heading into the final period.
It was back-and-forth for a while, but Warfield fouled out with four minutes remaining and Megan Schwartzengraber and Jackie Parker joined her on the bench shortly thereafter.
“When Morgan fouled out that was a huge loss for them and I think it kind of took the wind out of their sails,” Hubbard said.
Warfield led C-F with 12 points to go with nine rebounds, four steals and four assists.
Jackie Parker added 10 points and four assists.
For the Academy it was all about the backcourt.
Blood finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with five steals and five assists, while sophomore Shena Albaugh scored 14 points and swiped seven steals.
“She’s been building lately and she’s got huge potential and is really quick and can jump,” Hubbard said of Albaugh.
Heather Lantis added 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
Hillsdale Academy faces Waldron twice in the next several weeks, with a conference title hanging in the balance.
“They are scrappy. And it’s kind of remarkable because both teams graduated a lot of key players from last year,” Hubbard said. “We should have some dandy games with them.”
© Blogger template PingooIgloo by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009
Back to TOP
