By: Caitlin Flynn
Co-Sports Editor
After four consecutive losses to begin their season, the women’s basketball team has been rejuvenated and has already clinched a spot in the Centennial Conference playoffs with their fifteenth-straight win against conference rival, Swarthmore.
The team has pulled out three of those wins in overtime, proving just how far hard work and dedication can carry a team.
Aside from their hard-earned wins, the Green Terror women have also been awarded academically. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) ranked the team in 11th place for the Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. With a grade-point average on 3.453 for the past academic year, the Green Terror women certainly have something else to be proud of.
Head coach Becky Martin, who is in her 29th season here on the Hill, is accustomed to winning streaks similar to this one. During the 2006-2007 coaching season, her team reeled-off 19 conference wins in a row and went on to take the regular season Conference Championship.
This season, Martin points out that she doesn’t want to dwell on streaks; that the goal for the program every year is to not only qualify for the Conference Championships, but to try their hardest to win the title and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
“Naturally, some years certain teams have a better chance of achieving those goals,” says Martin. “I am not a fortune teller, but this team has many similar characteristics of past McDaniel squads that have won championships.”
Coach identifies a balanced offense with an inside and outside game, good speed, upper class experience and leadership; not to mention a “go to person” in Ali Moreland” as real strengths of her team.
What seems to be the most prominent aspect of the team, however, is how determined they are to keep fighting during pressure situations.
Senior captain and guard Ali Moreland believes the best thing about the team is that their strengths come from every individual player on the team, making each of them dominant players.
“It’s hard for teams to stop us because they can’t just key in defensively on one player,” says Moreland. “There are too many dimensions on our team. That makes us unstoppable.”
Junior forward Whitney Snoops believes that the team has really come together this season, and agrees with Moreland that the squad’s individual strengths make them a threat to conference foes.
“We are constantly improving on utilizing each other’s strengths and weaknesses and this has resulted in some balanced scoring in a lot of our games,” says Snoops. “This has definitely helped us because even if a team tries to shut down a certain player we still have plenty of threats to help us win.”
The seniors, including Ashley Lyles, Catherine Mills, Ali Moreland, and Sally Grace, have all stepped up as leaders this year. They have especially been leaned on by the team in the close games.
Snoops points out that if the team continues to improve over the next few weeks and in their upcoming games, they will be able put themselves in a very good sport for the Conference Championships.
“If we can stay health, continue to progress, and have a little luck, I believe we have as good a chance as anyone in the conference if we are fortunate enough to be playing in the Conference Championship game,” says Martin. She concluded, “Regarding the WBCA’s top 25, we are proud and honored to be included and recognized with the best in the country.”
