Coming off the holiday break, Sweet Home’s girls basketball team faced a two-game weekend that tested their conditioning, teamwork, and consistency with a 45-35 loss to Gladstone on Friday, Jan. 3, followed by a commanding win 54-37 over Stevenson, Wash; on Saturday, Jan. 4. The Huskies showed progress while highlighting areas for growth as they prepare for league play.
The Huskies returned to practice with a renewed focus on fundamentals, Head Coach Erika Evans said.
“We had to work on some conditioning, as you do coming back from any holiday break,” Evans said. “We focused a lot on free throws and fast break layups – two areas where we’ve struggled in our games up until the break.”
Evans said she entered the weekend games with high hopes for improvement. Beyond winning, the team sought to fine-tune their transitions and avoid lapses in execution. “We are looking to increase our consistency and not having lapses in the things we can control,” said Evans
The Huskies started slow against Gladstone, falling behind 19-2 in the first quarter. However, the team refused to back down. The second quarter saw Sweet Home outscore their opponents and narrow the deficit to six points by halftime.
“We put the pedal to the metal in the second,” Evans said, noting the team’s “impressive press” that ignited the comeback.
Despite the effort, the Huskies couldn’t sustain the momentum and fell 45-35. The game highlighted the team’s need to maintain focus and consistency across all four quarters, Evans noted.
The Huskies bounced back day 2 with a dominant performance against Stevenson. The team executed a press that had been a work in progress all season, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on fast-break opportunities.
“At the end of the third quarter, we went on a run where we hit a couple of layups off turnovers, two 3’s, forced two more turnovers in a row, and ended the quarter on a dominant streak,” Evans said. “It was really cool to see the girls put together a press we have been working on since the beginning of the season but hadn’t shown in a game until this weekend.”
The offensive explosion was led by three players scoring in double digits – Amara Gonzales, Brooke Elder, and Aaliyah Brown – with Vannice adding eight points as well.
Gonzales was particularly “electrifying”, scoring all of her points during the third-quarter run, energizing the team and the crowd.
“Amara tends to step up in big moments and get everyone riled up,” Evans said.
“We have so many leaders that lead in different ways on our team – it’s a good problem to have,” Evans said.
The 54-37 victory was a “complete team effort”, even key improvements from the freshmen, “which was really awesome for the freshmen to have such a part of the success,” Evans added.
Building confidence and looking ahead, the weekend’s games offered both challenges and opportunities.
Against Gladstone, the Huskies demonstrated resilience, but lapses in execution revealed areas for growth. Against Stevenson, their ability to capitalize on turnovers and balance scoring across the roster showed their potential as a cohesive unit, Evans said.
“We are looking to increase our scoring ability across the board,” she said. “We want everyone on the floor taking shots, and we want multiple people scoring in double digits.
“We’ve been focusing on the aspects of what it means to have a ‘team win,’ where everyone works to fulfill their role on both ends of the floor and sees their contribution to the team’s improvement.”
As league play approaches, the Huskies will continue refining their ability to handle various defenses, create advantages, and score in transition, Evans said. The team’s leadership depth, with players stepping up in different ways, is a promising sign for their growth.
“I think if we clean up our turnovers and continue building on what we’ve worked on, we’ll be ready to compete in league play,” Evans said.
The Huskies matchup against St. Helens at home on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and Friday, Jan. 10, they will hit the road to face Madras.