When members of the Falcon girls JV and C-squad basketball teams look back on the successes of the 2003-04 season, they will have to give credit to their few but dedicated fans.
“Most of the fans are parents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives,” said JV coach Henry Pope. “We need more support. They need to be loud, not rude, but rowdy.”
Unfortunately this year, the crowds belonging to the opposition have been louder than the Falcons crowd, even in Erikson Gymnasium. But the players on the court can still pick out their fans’ cheers and have worked to make a season of it. As of last week, they were at .500 with a 7-7 record.
Though there are no playoff spots to vie for, the JV team is motivated. They play for the love of the game, something they get, in part, from their coach.
“The reason I like to coach is I love being around the game,” Pope said. “I thought it would be especially easy since I am an ex-player but it’s not for the most part.”
The JV Falcons have put an emphasis on defense this season. Playing either half court or full-court man-to-man, the team uses what it has an abundance of — speed. Pope said all 10 girls on the team are also solid ball handlers. He holds up sophomore Britta Madison as an example.
“Britta is a very fiery and intense player,” Pope said.
Those attributes paid dividends in a Jan. 16 game against Lynden Christian. Down 30-29 with seconds to play, Madison hit a field goal off of an inbounding play.
A leader on defense has been sophomore Melissa Mydynski.
“She is a tenacious defender,” Pope said.
If it is true that defense wins championships, but the offense brings in the crowd, it is Brianne Dumke who is doing as much as anyone to inspire the Falcon cheering section. She is the team’s most consistent three-point having sunk 40 percent of her trey attempts this season.
The team’s major challenge this year has come in the area of turnovers. Reducing the number of balls they give up and increasing the number they recover can only improve their chances, according to Pope.
Other JV team members are sophomores Amanda LaVasser, Lucy Brennan, and Krista Holmberg; and juniors Breanne Mulcahy, Jennifer Gabelein, and Richelle Rorex.
On the C-squad, which is coached by Greg Hein, are freshmen Madalyn Evans, Katie Lint, Whitney Wood, Caitilynn Larmore, Donna Waterman, Teah Wanamaker, Denise Waterman, Meagen Rawls, Danielle Julison, Chelsey Backus, Natalie Martinovich, and Erin Peirce-Magdalik.
The junior varsity team ended its season Friday in a road game against Meridian. The C-squad had its final game on Tuesday against Lynden Christian. The varsity team lost a game to Lynden Christian 62-48 Tuesday and needed a win Friday to make it into a three-way to to get into playoffs.
