Some of the losses have been close, one-possession games where the Chardon varsity girls basketball teams have showed bright spots. But they are losses nonetheless, and they are piling up in a season that has some scratching their heads after big expectations for this talented squad.
GAME PHOTOS from Geneva: http://smu.gs/2CjYocM
A close home loss to Geneva, 51-47, was tough to swallow. But losses to Brush, 43-41, and Kenston, 62-53 — tough Western Reserve Conference rivals — have the Hilltoppers soul searching early on.
Sitting on the bench during halftime of the junior varsity game between Geneva and Chardon, Hilltopper varsity head coach Cullen Harris marveled at how quickly time had passed since tryouts in late October to his team’s third game in early December.
During that time, Chardon tried mesh together the talent on the team and bring the underclassmen up to speed on the pace of play and intensity.
For seniors Danni McCartney and Faith DiLillo, the fast paced practices helped get the team on the same page, but there is plenty of work left to do.
McCartney said they are making progress, such as trusting one-another when passing the ball or allowing their teammates to work through a shooting slump.
“The preseason was tough,” said McCartney. “It shows how deep we can go in games. We can go 10 deep and sub in and out without having much of a problem. It didn’t show tonight, but it’ll get better as we go.”
DiLillo feels one of the things the Hilltoppers have to work on is finding their rhythm.
“I like how we look in practice and it’s just a matter of time getting to know how we all play together,” said DiLillo.
Following their 51-47 loss to the Eagles on Dec. 4, where Geneva dictated the pace of play and pushed the Toppers around on their home court.
Two days later the team lost 43-41 to Brush in an important Western Reserve Conference contest. Two one-possession losses were not easy to swallow for Harris.
“But it’s something we’ll learn and grow from,” he said. “I would have liked to come out on the other end of those games. But we have a lot of kids who are in new roles.”
“I think we need to learn the difference between coming out strong and fast and slowing down,” said DiLillo. “I feel like we want to play hard, but we get too excited sometimes and that’s when we fumble the ball and don’t take care of it.”
She said the Toppers have to do better in knowing their individual limits and play how they do in practice – hard and fast.
Harris is trying to find out which of his 10 varsity players fit in which spot. It can be a challenge early in the season, but it’s one the coach thinks will pay off at the end of the year.
“It’s hard to get in a rhythm,” Harris said. “I would think at some point we’re going to scale back, but we are pleased with what we’re seeing from the kids. They are being asked to step up.”
Sophomore Hallie Landies has looked good early, the coach said. Also, McCartney has got back to speed and game shape after injuries.
With as many as scorers and shooters as the Hilltoppers felt they had in the preseason, the team has made a conscious effort to pull back early and focus on its defense in the half-court. Harris just did not believe the team’s defensive fundamentals were good enough.
“We’ve dialed it back, and haven’t pressed as much,” Harris said. “For right now we will focus on that half court.”
The winner of the competitive WRC is likely to have three or four losses by season’s end, so Chardon is hoping that a slow start evens out and turns into that coveted conference championship.
