The Shawnee Dispatch / SMNW prepares for substate

Archive for Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Girls basketball team on road at Olathe South tonight

February 26, 2008

The Shawnee Mission Northwest girls basketball team played a more inspired brand of basketball last Thursday at Shawnee Mission North.

However, it was not enough as the Cougars fell to the Indians, 50-37, and finished the regular season with just two wins.

Sydney Jones, sophomore guard, led Northwest with 16 points while Haley Allen did a nice job of collecting defensive rebounds and starting the break. The Cougars allowed a 9-0 run at the end of the second quarter that enabled the Indians to spread a one-point lead into a 10-point advantage by halftime.

The Cougars now face the task of trying to unseat number one-seeded Olathe South on the road in the first round of the Northeast Kansas 6A Substates.

The Falcons tied for the Sunflower League crown with only one league loss and present a huge challenge for a Northwest team short on varsity experience.

"It's a very tall order for us," Northwest coach John Reiff said. "They have fives (centers). They have shooters. They're loaded.

"Hopefully, we'll play hard like we did on Thursday night. We just have to try and handle the ball as best we can. We can always block out. We can always pass the ball. We've just got to ask our girls to do the best they can."

The Cougars play Olathe South at 7 p.m. tonight.

Talking points

Do you think Veterans Day should be a prominent holiday?

Absolutely. We wouldn’t be able to sit here and eat lunch like this if it weren’t for the veterans. We’ve got millions of people that fought and died to save this country; it should be more than a bank holiday.

— Byron Arthur

More responses