Somewhat average record is byproduct of much bigger goals for Grass Lake girls
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Grass Lake – At first look, this is a 6-4 team and one that was third in the Cascades Conference heading into play Tuesday night.
“But if you look a little closer, you’ll see just what we’ve done with the schedule,” Grass Lake girls basketball coach Jeremy Davies said about his squad. “We tried to ramp up our schedule this year in order to prepare ourselves better for the long run.”
The Warriors started the season with a 55-42 loss to Northwest, a team that’s 6-1.
Other losses came to Pittsford (9-0), Napoleon (7-0) and a 44-43 setback to Manchester (6-2).
That’s a combined 28-3 record of teams who have found a way to top Grass Lake entering Tuesday night.
The Warriors still have games scheduled with Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (9-1) and Blissfield (8-1) before the season is out.
“This is something that prepares you, I feel,” Davies said. “When you play a lesser team and win by 40, or whatever, I don’t think that does anything for either team.”
And more than the wins and losses, Davies said he’s liked how his girls have handled the schedule so far — even if they don’t totally understand how it may help in the grand scheme of things.
“I really like the way they’ve responded to playing fast,” he explained. “That’s the thing we want to do. We feel like we’re deeper than most teams. I feel like I can play any of my 11 girls at all times. And the four things we stress are rebounding, defense, execution and playing fast. They’ve done that.”
As far as whether or not his team truly understands the objective of such a schedule, Davies said it’s still a work in progress.
“I think the team is still figuring it out,” he added. “But it will be better for us. This is a team that wants to win a conference championship and then win come playoff time.”
Again, entering Tuesday night, Napoleon sat atop the standings with a 4-0 record. Manchester was right behind with a 4-1 mark, followed by Grass Lake at 5-2.
All three teams still have games remaining against one another.
And looking beyond that, the Warriors already know they will open the 2016 postseason against Napoleon.
“That’s a very good team, and it’s going to be a great challenge,” Davies said. “But it’s also a team that can be beat.”
If, and only if, the lessons learned of playing the schedule put forth are adapted and applied.
“It’s as simple as learning how you have to bring it, every single night,” Davies said. “You can have an off night against a bad team, but still win. Against the types of teams we’ve played, you can’t have a bad night and win. That’s the main lesson we’re trying to take from all this.”
He continued.
“When we play our game, getting the ball up and down, and speeding the game up, we’re tough to beat. And not just the teams we’re supposed to beat. I feel we can hang with anyone.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.