RBHS varsity girls’ basketball defeats Capital City 57-24, overcomes zone challenges

During+the+half-time+of+the+JV+Girls+Basketball+game%2C+the+Rock+Bridge+cheerleading+team+dance+and+cheer+with+the+junior+clinic.

Whitney Blackburn

During the half-time of the JV Girls Basketball game, the Rock Bridge cheerleading team dance and cheer with the junior clinic.

Sophie Connell, Staff Writer

RBHS varsity girls’ basketball defeated the Lady Cavaliers of Capital City on Thursday evening, Jan. 12. At the end of the third quarter the team was solidly in the lead with a score of 38-24, and still managed to score another 19 points in the final quarter of the game. Despite facing obstacles in the first half, the Bruins finished with over double the score of Capital City.

The team recently came back from winter break, which affects athletes’ stamina and performance. Practicing every day helps players build endurance and strength, and while breaks are beneficial to rest their bodies, it can be difficult for athletes to get back into their rhythm. Justin Carter, assistant coach to girls’ varsity basketball, said the game presented challenges when the Cavaliers packed the Bruins’ zones, referring to the method in which teams play man-to-man. The Cavaliers’ defense prevented the Bruins from effectively scoring in the first half, though the Bruins eventually overcame the obstacle.

“We had 12 days off before this, so these two games in a couple of days have been nice,” Carter said. “Tuesday we were a little sloppy, a little rusty, but it was great to get our legs back under us.  I think it showed tonight when we got back out there and really played to our potential.”

[My biggest takeaway was] just having that confidence in myself to shoot. I think I gained a lot of confidence for tonight’s game after [Tuesday’s game]. So that was a good takeaway.

— Bella Corrado

The Bruins’ biggest strength is being a shooting team (players are strong and consistent with their shots) according to junior player Kate Volmert. They were able to use this to their benefit last night, scoring multiple three-point baskets and breaking through the Cavaliers’ defense. Not being a starting player Thursday night, Volmert said she was nervous to play after the break.

“I think that my challenge [for tonight] was coming off the bench,” Volmert said. “I’m not always confident, but as the game started moving along, I felt better about it.”

Senior Bella Corrado, who has been on the girls’ basketball team all throughout high school, also said getting their shots in was harder than usual. The Cavaliers double-teamed freshman Jayda Porter, who Corrado described as vital on the court. A vital player, Capital City made a point to restrict Porter’s performance. With Porter’s limited playing, the rest of the team came through to shoot. 

“I think the biggest challenge was probably that zone,” Corrado said. “[The Cavaliers] had a really good zone in there […] but we have a ton of good shooters on the team. So we were able to just shoot and break that zone.”

With two games after coming back from break, varsity girls’ basketball was able to prove to themselves that they can win hard games and adapt to changes. The team is confident in their shooters and feel they played well.

“[My biggest takeaway was] just having that confidence in myself to shoot,” Corrado said. “I think I gained a lot of confidence for tonight’s game after [Tuesday’s game]. So that was a good takeaway.”

Did you catch Thursday’s game? Let us know in the comments below.