Weather allowing, Napoleon girls take aim at undefeated regular season
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Napoleon – In 19 attempts, no other team has had even a shred of success trying to take down the girls basketball squad at Napoleon.
Mother Nature may be the lone victor.
But, if the Pirates do welcome in Hanover-Horton tonight for the regular-season finale, they do so with a chance to turn what’s been a wonderful season into a perfect one.
“Every team wants to be 20-0, but the thing these girls have done is keep everything in perspective,” coach Steve Smoyer said. “They started with a focus on winning the conference. They have focused on getting better today than they were yesterday.”
And it’s worked, every day and every game.
Following Tuesday night’s 52-35 victory at Columbia Central, the Pirates improved to 19-0 on the season.
The lone outstanding piece to a perfect puzzle is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at home.
As of this morning, Smoyer said he was not sure if the game would be played or not, and Hanover is not able to make it up tomorrow night if it’s not.
As for the games that have been played, though, and the shot at a perfect season, Smoyer said finishing 20-0 was never a main goal for his team when the season began.
“Going undefeated in the conference, and winning the conference title, that was the main objective when the season began,” Smoyer said. “That was the bigger goal.”
And winning the Cascades Conference is something the team accomplished earlier this month, putting enough distance between itself with a 13-0 record, and Grass Lake, three games back at 10-3.
The title is the first for the Pirates since winning back to back in 2008-09 and 2009-10 when they lost one league game in two years.
“The first reason we wanted this so bad is because these girls have never won one,” Smoyer said. “This is a tough conference to win, and to go undefeated in the conference is even tougher. But they set that goal. The hardest thing about winning is getting everyone on the same page, keeping that focus, and then actually going out and doing it.”
But under Smoyer’s direction, his six seniors, three juniors and two sophomores did just that.
Whether it’s an offense averaging 53.7 points per game, or a defense giving up 31.1, domination has lurked at every turn.
Smoyer pointed a finger of credit directly at his squad when asked about the success.
“They’ve taken the pressure and put it on themselves,” he said. “There’s no outside pressure, though. They don’t feel that 20-0 pressure. Any pressure they feel is the pressure they put on themselves.”
Smoyer also said he knows the Comets (11-7) will bring everything, plus the kitchen sink, tonight in an attempt to end the perfect season.
“That target keeps getting bigger and bigger. Hanover is going to come into our gym with a chance to take everything away. But that’s the beauty of competition,” Smoyer said. “To finish this off at home, on Senior Night, that would be pretty special.”
Win, lose, draw, or postpone tonight, Smoyer said he’ll have an appreciation for this group of girls unlike anything he’s had before.
“This has been such a fun year for me as a coach,” he said. “I try to find a way to step back and enjoy the moment of what these girls have been able to do. We’re not big, or fast or strong. We’re five kids at a time going out and playing together and understanding their roles. I’m so proud of them for doing that. If we played this way and were 15-5 or 10-10 I’d still be proud. Truthfully, I’m amazed we’re 19-0.”
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.