One of the very first rules I ever learned in the game of basketball was to avoid the corners at all costs. Why? Because there are two extra defenders in the corner; the baseline and sideline. Dribbling into a corner exponentially increases your chances of throwing a pass into the crowd, stepping out of bounds, or elbowing someone in the face. But the Geffen Academy Girls Varsity must have seen a jelly-filled donut in the corner before the tip-off; the Bruins were attracted to the corners of the floor all night long.
The Bruins starting off the game well with buckets from two of their veteran players in Ciahna McNairy and Maddie Sugimoto and jumped out to a small advantage for a good portion of the opening quarter. Their high-quality play was short-lived, however. The starting five, which swapped sophomore Morgan Ballard over injured freshman Isabella Michels, struggled with cohesiveness throughout the match. This was evidenced by the Bruins' carelessness with the basketball, as their two main ball-handlers in Sugimoto and Freshman Mion Kamiya committed thirteen turnovers over the course of the contest. The Panthers' guards, who capitalized on these additional possessions as well as their remarkable ball movement, were consistently able to find open looks for their teammates.
The Bruins didn't go down without a fight, however. McNairy notched her second consecutive double-double, scoring eleven points and fourteen rebounds while also recording a ridiculous seven blocked shots. Kamiya, who added nine points and ten rebounds, also came up with three steals. However, despite every member of the Bruins starting five scoring at least one bucket, they couldn't just rely on their opening group for offensive firepower. There was a lack of scoring when either McNairy, Kamiya, or Sugimoto exited the game, and the Panthers discovered a terrific strategy to make Geffen Academy pay the price when the Bruins' best players weren't all on the floor together. YULA trapped the Bruins' top offensive threats, forced them to make rushed passes to open teammates, and snatched the ball away in mid-air.
Although the Bruins were able to keep themselves within striking distance until approximately four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it never really felt like Geffen Academy could realistically comeback. A late run by YULA gave the Panthers a fourteen point advantage when the concluding buzzer sounded, but the final score was not indicative of how long the Bruins were able to stay in the game. This snaps Geffen Academy's two game win streak, and they drop to a very respectable two and two record on the season. But addressing their lack of offense and careless basketball needs to be the top priority for this group going forward if they hope to get back in the win column for an extended period of time going forward.
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