Quite a ride, isn't it. Every week I love this team more. What an odyssey! I'll resist doing any specific raving since our player's exploits are well covered elsewhere. So enormously grateful this stupid virus is not snuffing out their (and our) great adventure. In fact, I'm nuts about our whole conference. ASU is so tough! Charlie works her magic down there in the Sun and her Devils outdo themselves in every aspect of the game. On Sunday they gave the Cardinal tons of trouble. If they'd had a building full of rabid fans, like they usually have, it could have gone worse for our group. I'm sure you remember that last season they beat the number two ranked Ducks and the number three ranked Beavers on the same weekend in a building you thought might come off its foundation at any moment.
UCLA just knocked off Oregon in a thriller in the Matthew Knight Arena! The two "O's" were spectacular once again. In fact, they scored all the Bruin's points (20) in the first quarter. The Ducks were missing their 6'-7" post player, but had their 6'-6" and 6'-4" players in the middle who couldn't stop UCLA's All American Michaela Onyenwere from rising up above their defensive efforts and hitting consistent jumpers around the key. If you think I'm exaggerating, number 21(in white) above (Erin Boley) is 6'-2". Do you think she's bothering Michaela? Charisma Osborne (the other "O") was driving the lane and hitting from distance the whole game. It was a great effort and an important win for the Bruins.
The Cougs are a bunch of no-name ballers who are shocking one team after another with no glitz or glamour - just solid play and lots of made shots. I could go on, but you get the idea. This is a wild and woolly season out West in the PAC12! Kamie Ethridge gets my vote, along with Tara, for co-coach of the year. What a job she's doing out there in the Paloose.
On Friday morning the Cardinal play the Ducks in Santa Cruz. Their 6'-7" post player will probably be back in their lineup and I hope Cam is back in ours. Kelly Graves has a flock of five fantastic freshmen who, as a team, would be ranked in the top ten. Two of them, Te-Hina Paopao from La Jolla Country Day (Candace Wiggins' high school), and Angela Dugalic (6'-4" and built strong) almost took down the UCLA Bruins in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Tara has all this week to get her players ready and I'm expecting a barnburner in Santa Cruz. After just having been upset by the Bruins, who ended their 27 game winning streak, the Ducks will be a very dangerous bunch of quackers. Our A-game will be required.
GO CARDINAL!!
Without a healthy Cam, our margin for victory against the Ducks will be very small
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thought Stephen. Just looking at Tara's face in the Press Conference you could see what this season has been like. I'm hoping this week she can get some rest and our team can get their mojo going. Better movement, better passing, sharp cutters, and accurate feeds. This team can be powerful.
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