No end in sight as Napoleon girls reach 13-0 on the hardwood
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Napoleon – There are enough opinions out there in regards to just how good his team is.
Steve Smoyer has seen his team ranked in the top 10 of one poll, a top team in the area in another.
But as he said, “those are all just opinions.”
Smoyer prefers to stick with the facts, namely the facts of the scoreboard when games come to an end.
And there’s no refuting what his Napoleon girls basketball team have done so far this winter.
Thirteen games. Thirteen wins.
“Not much has changed from the way we approached things earlier in the season,” Smoyer said. “So far it’s worked pretty well. Our focus is on having the biggest number on the scoreboard when that horn goes off. And we’ve done a good job of that.”
The Pirates have had another good week or so, too.
In a highly anticipated matchup with Manchester Jan. 22 — the Flying Dutchmen had just one conference loss all year, to Napoleon, at that — the Pirates rolled to a 55-30 laugher.
Three days later there was no let down, as they blasted past Lenawee Christian 53-35.
The Pirates continue to dominate on both ends of the floor, with an offense pouring in 52.6 per game and a defense giving up 28.7.
In fact, Napoleon has allowed more than 30 points in a game just once since Dec. 15, an eight-game stretch preceded by a 41-37 overtime victory against Manchester.
Still, with all the success, and lopsided success at that, Smoyer and the Pirates are taking nothing for granted, not the conference standings, rankings, anything.
“Our conference is good enough where any given night, anything can happen,” Smoyer said, though final scores suggest otherwise. “We’re not going to underestimate anyone or let up at all. We know with every win, the target on our back gets bigger. The girls have accepted that. You see it. We’ve talked about teams giving us their best from all different directions. It’s a matter of us solving that and figuring out how to be successful for 32 minutes.”
They’ve done it for 13 games, with seven still to go.
Some coaches will say, maybe without directly saying it, that going undefeated is never really a goal. Smoyer wasn’t about to take that route.
“We don’t talk about going unbeaten as much as other people, but I mean, everyone wants to win every game,” he said simply. “We still have that opportunity. But I think the girls goals are more focused on winning the conference and getting better for tomorrow than we are today.”
Even if that includes seven more wins before the regular season is out.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him atmjm12@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.