6th grade caps off first winning season

For Fiona, Edwena and Victoria, it's been a long time coming.

After three losing seasons, the three 6th grade girls who have been playing basketball since 3rd grade are finally going to the playoffs, completing a (5-3) season with a 14-2 win Saturday morning.

The girls could've had 30 points in this game had they made even half their lay-ups and shots by the basket. Unofficially, they missed close to 20 shots from point blank.

Their shooting woes were problematic in the first half because they should've put this team away early in the game. They led only 2-0 until the final minutes of the 2nd quarter when Jamie and Edwena both made jump shots to extend their lead to 6-0 at halftime.

Fiona tied her career high and scored 6 of the team's 8 points in the second half, as the girls sealed it early in the fourth.

Rebecca scored off an out of bounds play and had 2 points for the second straight week.

Besides the inability to make shots by the basket, the 6th grade girls have really turned their game up a notch. Their press really gives the other teams trouble and is a catalyst for them to score points.

Among the most improved girls on the team are Lesly and Rebecca, who are both enjoying strong second halves of the season in their rookie campaign.

At this time, their (5-3) record puts them in a three-way tie for second place and it's unknown at this time what is next for the 6th grade girls.

They could play a tie-breaker game as early as Monday to decide seeding in the playoffs.

One seed they will want to avoid is the fourth seed, because they would then have to play the first place team St. Cecilia, in their home gym.

The road to the championship is not going to be easy, and if they have to play in another team's gym, it will only be that much harder.

Whether the girls can win their playoff game is really going to be a battle against themselves. If they can score enough points (stating the obvious), they will be in good shape. However, struggling from the field is going to make their task that much more difficult.

Getting early points is also a key factor for this team. When they can score early, it lifts a huge weight off of everyone's shoulders.

If they constantly see a 0 on the scoreboard, mentally the girls don't feel as confident and their play will take a turn for the worse.

Fiona, Edwena and Victoria played a grade up in 3rd and 4th grade without winning a game for two seasons. It wasn't until mid-season last year they won a game. Needless to say, they have come a long way.

Now they're going to be on an even bigger stage, the playoffs, for the first time in their careers.