By Nolan Epstein
Despite showcasing a young starting lineup with five sophomores and a size disadvantage against Parkview, the Springfield Catholic Lady Irish (4-3) played with a senior mentality on Monday – stifling the Lady Vikings (1-6) to capture a 40-30 win at home.
“These kids work hard,” Catholic head coach Dan Stander said of his team after the victory. “A lot of sophomores are playing JV ball. These girls are really advancing. All those kids started at one time last year and it’s paying off this year. I just hope they stay healthy.”
Health has certainly been an issue for Stander’s squad as he saw the loss of junior Emma Lucas (broken hand) in the season opener against Stockton. Stander hopes the junior will return this season, but if Monday was any indication, Catholic remains in good hands.
The Lady Irish held Parkview to less than a point per minute over the span of the first half, sparking Stander to give his team a defensive goal to shoot for over the final 16 minutes of regulation.
And they delivered.
“I told them at halftime if we hold them to 15 points in the second half, we’ll win the game,” Stander said. “Lo and behold, they got 30 [total] points. When you hold a team to 30 points, you’ve got a chance.”
Perhaps the biggest key to Catholic’s success on defense was a switch from man-to-man to zone – an adjustment that all but negated the size advantage Parkview held on the court.
“Whenever we dropped back in zone [defense], we became more physical with stopping [Parkview] from getting the ball inside,” sophomore forward Madison Chittenden said. “We were making sure they didn’t get offensive rebounds to get the ball back in.”
The Lady Irish didn’t exactly put on an offensive clinic either, but Chittenden, who led her team with 17 points on the night, helped her club garner some much-needed momentum as the schedule gets tougher.
Fellow sophomore Jaycee Cabasi added 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, to complement Chittenden’s solid performance.
“We’ve played together ever since we were in first and second grade, so we know how to play with each other,” Chittenden said of Cabasi. “We can just work off of each other to get the points.”
Parkview’s Paiton Acord poured in 17 points in the loss, but nobody else managed to score more than seven for the Lady Vikings.
“We take everything as a learning experience,” said Parkview coach Keri Nichols. “I think the one thing we’re going to see is that we’re going to have to get in [the gym] and do some extra shooting on our own time to become better shooters. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long season.”
Both teams next participate in the first round of the Pink & White Lady Classic on Dec. 27. Catholic faces Nixa, while Parkview tangles with North Little Rock (Ark.).
Parkview – 7 8 8 7 – 30
Catholic – 12 8 13 7 – 40
Parkview – Paiton Acord 17, CJ Stiles 7, Shaylee Tarr 2, Ty Stiles 2, Nevaeh Mitchell 2
Catholic – Madison Chittenden 17, Jaycee Cabasi 11, Olivia Wilson 6, Lilly Edwards 4, Lindsey Murphy 2
