It should be about the players. End of story. This sucked for the players on both teams. High School athletics is about teaching values not winning a quarterfinal game..

 

I disagree. You have all year to teach values. Once you get to tournament time, its about winning.

Seniors robbed of last game, regardless of chance to win they really got cheated in this one. They were embarrassed on the court while the crowd yelled. If this were a final perhaps but let em play. Just my opinion obviously.

 

Seniors robbed??? Seriously??? Robbed of what - an opportunity to be beaten again by another lopsided score? True coaches coach to win, among other important things like developing character, sportsmanship, etc. - not to keep parents happy. To showand teach a team that they have a chance to be victorious by pulling together in a different and unique way and by utilizing a little used strategy that is very much within the rules is a fantastic lesson in being resourceful. THAT'S WHAT UNDERDOGS DO!!! (For more information about this, look up these items: civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, American Revolution ...) Hats off to Coach Richey and staff for taking the risk and almost pulling it off. Just my opinon.

3 possession, maybe 4, and the game is a "normal" game and all the NDA fans are happy. That's all it would have probably taken for NDA to put the heat on and jump out to a 6-12 point lead. With HHS being young, I don't think they would have been able to consistently handle the pressure. Think about it...3 minutes is all it would have taken. But the NDA coach didn't want to do it.

 

I can see a couple of reasons why the NDA coach doesn't do it. First, she was caught off guard and never thought about what do to in this situation. Second, if she's confident she will win the game, her team advances to round 2 with 1) no injuries and 2) no fatigue.

 

As a player, I'm counting on my coach to put me in the best situation to win the game. I'm counting on my coach to leave their emotions out of her coaching decisions. Thinking strategically in order to put me in the best position to win the game. If you ask any player if they think they can "take" a player from the other team, 9 out of 10 say yes (I like the confidence) when the coach might know that in reality, that's not the case.

 

Someone mentioned earlier that upsets happen, and that's why you play the game. Though I agree, I would challenge that poster, as I think in girls bb, it happens way less than in other sports. The talent level is usually much greater. Maybe not so much in players 1 thru 3, but in players 4 - 8.

 

Good season Birds and congrats to the Pandas on the W. Good luck the rest of the tourney.

Here is what is so shocking to me. Folks are saying the only way for Highlands to win was to pull off this game plan. Is there really that much of a difference between the # 3 team in the region and a # 6 team?? Highlands had a winning record going into this game and had thrown up 81 points on the 20th of this month and 98 on the 22nd. I did see that Notre Dame crushed Highlands during the regular season, but still don't understand the thought process. It's just bad for the game! Bad for the girls, bad for the fans. Highlands only played in 3 games this year where the score was decided by 4 points or less. Not fun to watch! This will not help attendance to girls games just like when they tried switching the games to Friday every other month.

 

 

These are my thoughts also TAC. I don't watch enough girls basketball to know if the difference between ND and Highlands is that wide. Clyde said that it is. The question that comes to my mind is how overmatched do you need to be to use this strategy? If your team is a 20 point or more underdog, is that when you use stall ball? If there is zero chance of winning a game played at normal tempo, then why not go to stall ball? That seems to be the situation here. Does anyone think Highlands had any chance at all of winning without stall ball? Because they did have a chance with stall ball so you have to say it was good strategy. If Highlands had won the game, I am sure they would have used the same strategy versus Ryle in the next game.

This sucked for the players on both teams

 

You think NDA players have a problem with winning and advancing?

 

High School athletics is about teaching values not winning a quarterfinal game

 

Values learned last night -

1. The goals and needs of the team outweigh your individual needs

2. You have to be able to adapt, change and overcome as a team

3. A true champion finds a way to win under any circumstance.

Seniors robbed of last game, regardless of chance to win they really got cheated in this one. They were embarrassed on the court while the crowd yelled. If this were a final perhaps but let em play. Just my opinion obviously.

Agree completely. With this stratagy you are telling your kids "You don't have a chance if you play straight up". Wouldn't leave a nice taste in my mouth if I were a player or parent. They had to know everyone was booing them, and I'm sure more than one of them wanted to yell "This isn't my idea of how to play my last game."

Even if the 8th grader is better?

Hasn't seemed to work at Highlands. I am in more of the camp of developing classes and not individual athletes. Once you begin to step middle schoolers over high school players, you run the risk of losing the varsity players. So perhap in a year or two, you may have a couple of pretty good soph, but not many upperclass players. The you take another middle schooler and play her above some frosh and any remaining Sophs or Jrs. You start the cucle over again, rarely getting to a year where you have a good nucleus of upperclass players. Which I believe you need to compete at the top level in the 9th. Really it's just a philosophy thing. I don't agree with the philososphy.

Does one player from every team make the all regional team? If yes, who from Highlands makes all tournament?

 

One of the Cheerleaders, they at least broke a sweat.

You along with others are acting as if HHS cheated in this game.

Would like to hear your reply if Bellevue had done this. And don't tell me that would have been fine with you and you would have forced the action,etc, That would have denied your team of a chance to score 100 points which they were certainly trying to do.

Thanks for pointing that out. Coach Richey apparently doesnt care if she averages 40 a game. This wasnt about one girl or any girl getting her points and making someone feel good about themselves TONITE, this was about trying to give your team its best chance to win against a team that was picked to win by 25 and Coach R did that. The score shows it. There was a game plan put into place, it was executed close to perfection but not perfect.

 

 

Would it have been a better lose if a Leah Schaefer or someone else score 40 and still got beat by 20. I hope you are just using her as an example for this conversation and not insinuating something else.

 

The HHS team lost with dignity tonite, but perhaps some parents and fans didnt see it that way.

 

Again, too bad, its about the team and the program.

LOST WITH DIGNITY!!!! You have got to be kidding. That is the most ridiculous statement of all the ones you have posted trying to justify what they did.

It should be about the players. End of story. This sucked for the players on both teams. High School athletics is about teaching values not winning a quarterfinal game..

 

If it is just about teaching values then why have a regional tournament? Panda it seems to me that you don't like Highlands very much.

Seniors robbed??? Seriously??? Robbed of what - an opportunity to be beaten again by another lopsided score? True coaches coach to win, among other important things like developing character, sportsmanship, etc. - not to keep parents happy. To showand teach a team that they have a chance to be victorious by pulling together in a different and unique way and by utilizing a little used strategy that is very much within the rules is a fantastic lesson in being resourceful. THAT'S WHAT UNDERDOGS DO!!! (For more information about this, look up these items: civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, American Revolution ...) Hats off to Coach Richey and staff for taking the risk and almost pulling it off. Just my opinon.

 

I rarely offer anything resembling opinion on this site so yes I was serious in my comments. And something tells me if Martin Luther King or Gandhi had on sneakers last night they would have at least wanted to attempt a three. If you want to take your hat off to a failed stategy be my guest. I simply didn't care for the tactics.

LOST WITH DIGNITY!!!! You have got to be kidding. That is the most ridiculous statement of all the ones you have posted trying to justify what they did.

 

As i mentioned in a boys post. My user name is way2serious and that is exactly what all of you all are! Coaches make decisions every game and have to live with them. You all need to chill out and support HHS and Coach Richey. The fans of Notre Dame need to chill out and support their Coach and the Panda Girls. Enjoy life and quit being so critical!

If it is just about teaching values then why have a regional tournament? Panda it seems to me that you don't like Highlands very much.

 

 

I have strongly supported HHS throughout the years. Attended as many HHS games this season as I did NDA when you consider all sports.

Good grief

 

Such a well thought out and eloquent response.