Who says you can't have broken ankles on the ice? It happened to Logan Couture in the Sharks 2-0 win over the Red Wings Thursday night, check it out.
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Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
More to games than winning
You'll be hard pressed to find someone else who wants to win or cares about winning more than I do, and that's the honest truth.
But that's not to say it's the most important thing that I value, and here is a great example of why from this past weekend.
Up in Sacramento, it was the State Championships for basketball, pitting schools from Northern California against Southern California.
We, if you consider we as Northern California, did not do so well.
Out of 12 games, we won only two.
It very well could've been three, but Isabella's future school, St. Joseph's, choked at the end in heartbreaking fashion.
They were clinging to a two point lead, and had four free throws that could've iced the game. Hit two of those shots, the game would be over...
Just hit one -- at worse, it would've been overtime.
So after missing all four, Horizon Christian had the ball with the final shot and a chance to win. Here's what happened:
This is not a loss that you ever get in over. And to be frank, it will haunt them from the rest of their lives.
Colin Kaepernick, after the Super Bowl this year, echoed that sentiment when a reporter asked him how long will the loss sting.
"For the rest of my life," he replied.
I coached one team years back and lost a championship game in the worst way possible. And for their sanity, I will not rehash it, but it's something that until this day I don't think they have gotten over, and frankly, neither have I.
But in a weird twisted way, that's what it's all about. It's because we care so much for the game, and care so much for each other -- that a moment that would've been just picture perfect, was taken away from us. And it's a moment we will never ever be able to experience.
And that's what happened to the boys basketball team of St. Joseph.
Don Lippi, the head coach, has been around for 35 years, and put into perspective. And we will end on that.
But that's not to say it's the most important thing that I value, and here is a great example of why from this past weekend.
Up in Sacramento, it was the State Championships for basketball, pitting schools from Northern California against Southern California.
We, if you consider we as Northern California, did not do so well.
Out of 12 games, we won only two.
It very well could've been three, but Isabella's future school, St. Joseph's, choked at the end in heartbreaking fashion.
They were clinging to a two point lead, and had four free throws that could've iced the game. Hit two of those shots, the game would be over...
Just hit one -- at worse, it would've been overtime.
So after missing all four, Horizon Christian had the ball with the final shot and a chance to win. Here's what happened:
This is not a loss that you ever get in over. And to be frank, it will haunt them from the rest of their lives.
Colin Kaepernick, after the Super Bowl this year, echoed that sentiment when a reporter asked him how long will the loss sting.
"For the rest of my life," he replied.
I coached one team years back and lost a championship game in the worst way possible. And for their sanity, I will not rehash it, but it's something that until this day I don't think they have gotten over, and frankly, neither have I.
But in a weird twisted way, that's what it's all about. It's because we care so much for the game, and care so much for each other -- that a moment that would've been just picture perfect, was taken away from us. And it's a moment we will never ever be able to experience.
And that's what happened to the boys basketball team of St. Joseph.
Don Lippi, the head coach, has been around for 35 years, and put into perspective. And we will end on that.
That was a tremendous day for our program. Of course we wanted to win the game and the trophy...but it can't be what we play for. Everything we do in this life should be for love and I'll tell you what, those kids in that locker room afterward showed that. They squeezed each other a little harder after a loss like that.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
7th/8th grade baseball team blanked
Good game, good effort.
The 7th/8th grade baseball team played their third game of the season and were shutout 14-0.
Despite the score, it's good to see these the 7th and 8th grade get out on the baseball diamond and try to make the best of the experience.
However, experience is the one thing they do not have.
Many of the teams they play against have been playing for years, whereas most of the baseball team has been playing for a few weeks.
Justin got the start and pitched well but as usual, did not get much support from his defense.
At the plate, Justin did get on late in the game with a single and stole two bases before being stranded at third.
Jason Zhao made a nice putout from second to first in the game.
The 7th/8th grade baseball team played their third game of the season and were shutout 14-0.
Despite the score, it's good to see these the 7th and 8th grade get out on the baseball diamond and try to make the best of the experience.
However, experience is the one thing they do not have.
Many of the teams they play against have been playing for years, whereas most of the baseball team has been playing for a few weeks.
Justin got the start and pitched well but as usual, did not get much support from his defense.
At the plate, Justin did get on late in the game with a single and stole two bases before being stranded at third.
Jason Zhao made a nice putout from second to first in the game.
6th graders win, but also lose
The 6th grade girls title defense took a huge hit Saturday when Kaela was injured midway through the 2nd quarter in a 9-8 win.
She left the game right after colliding with a girl on the opposite team during a fast break and is out indefinitely. There is no timetable on her return.
Before the collision, Kaela was having a strong game, scoring all seven of her team's points.
They were leading 7-4 at the time, so there was not much offense the rest of the way.
Lily threw a block party and recorded at least 10, if not more blocks, swatting away almost every shot taken in the key. Defensively, she was the hero clogging up the paint and making it difficult for the other team to get off good shots.
On the other hand, the offense really struggled without Kaela.
Michaela was the only regular ball handler left, and had trouble, especially in the second half, taking care of the basketball.
Up against a three girl press, Michaela would try to dribble through three girls almost repeatedly and pretty much every time she tried, she got stuffed.
She did break free in the 4th quarter a few times and hit a shot which gave them a much needed cushion.
After Michaela's made basket, the other team scored four straight and almost won it with a shot under 10 seconds to go in the game. A jumper rattled in and out, and the girls made a defensive stand with 3.4 seconds left to seal it.
Now it gets interesting because the girls will likely have to play without the reigning St. Mary's Girls MVP for the near future.
It'll be a brand new experience for all of the girls, as everybody on the team is going to have to step up their game to replace Kaela.
Throughout the course of this past year, the rest of the team, even when they were winning relied too much on Kaela. Now they will have no other choice.
One sign of encouragement they can look to is that they won last year's championship when Kaela was held scoreless.
And for the time being, Kaela will remain scoreless, and it'll be up to everybody else to compensate.
She left the game right after colliding with a girl on the opposite team during a fast break and is out indefinitely. There is no timetable on her return.
Before the collision, Kaela was having a strong game, scoring all seven of her team's points.
They were leading 7-4 at the time, so there was not much offense the rest of the way.
Lily threw a block party and recorded at least 10, if not more blocks, swatting away almost every shot taken in the key. Defensively, she was the hero clogging up the paint and making it difficult for the other team to get off good shots.
On the other hand, the offense really struggled without Kaela.
Michaela was the only regular ball handler left, and had trouble, especially in the second half, taking care of the basketball.
Up against a three girl press, Michaela would try to dribble through three girls almost repeatedly and pretty much every time she tried, she got stuffed.
She did break free in the 4th quarter a few times and hit a shot which gave them a much needed cushion.
After Michaela's made basket, the other team scored four straight and almost won it with a shot under 10 seconds to go in the game. A jumper rattled in and out, and the girls made a defensive stand with 3.4 seconds left to seal it.
Now it gets interesting because the girls will likely have to play without the reigning St. Mary's Girls MVP for the near future.
It'll be a brand new experience for all of the girls, as everybody on the team is going to have to step up their game to replace Kaela.
Throughout the course of this past year, the rest of the team, even when they were winning relied too much on Kaela. Now they will have no other choice.
One sign of encouragement they can look to is that they won last year's championship when Kaela was held scoreless.
And for the time being, Kaela will remain scoreless, and it'll be up to everybody else to compensate.
7th graders can't catch a break
The bounces are not going the way of the 7th grade girls as they suffered yet another crushing defeat, this time a 20-18 loss in overtime against the same team they beat in the playoffs last season.
This rematch was not a low scoring affair like last year's teeth pulling extravaganza where the 7th graders prevailed 8-3. But the girls would've taken that over another game decided by a bucket.
Playing without Kelly, who handles a lot of the point guard duties, the girls were forced to play with only six players.
And with only one sub, the girls didn't get a chance to do much resting.
Once again, their biggest problem, scoring points factored into the loss Saturday.
They get a lot of good looks at the basket but they just can't seem to convert. It was against this same team last year in the regular season when they scored a putrid one point in a 6-1 loss.
Sooner or later, the girls are going to have to win the close games, or else they will end up kicking themselves like they have done so all season long.
You can make a strong argument that they shouldn't have lost a single game in the tournament, and should also be undefeated in the regular season.
But reality is they are sitting at a disappointing (2-2) record midway through the season, when one made shot here, and a defensive stop there could shift their losses into the win column.
One thing they haven't done well is practice as a team, as the girls have not had consistent practices with all seven girls on the team. For a plethora of reasons, having all girls present at a practice has been a continuous challenge and when both of the team's losses have been one bucket, the lack of team chemistry is magnified.
The 7th grade was down five in the final quarter, but came back resiliently as Fiona tied the game on a made shot.
But they could not muster any type of offense in the extra frame.
In overtime, Ivanna fouled out, which was a huge blow to the girls as she is the team's lone inside presence.
And right on cue, the other team took advantage of her absence, lobbing a pass to a girl by the basket, who hit the game winner. Two of the St. Mary's girls were completely out of position.
In overtime, Ivanna fouled out, which was a huge blow to the girls as she is the team's lone inside presence.
And right on cue, the other team took advantage of her absence, lobbing a pass to a girl by the basket, who hit the game winner. Two of the St. Mary's girls were completely out of position.
Like all teams, they battle consistency. A lot of their players will look like gold one week, and then take several steps back the next.
In a higher division, some girls are still having trouble taking care of the ball.
Late in the game, Leslie was forced to burn a timeout in fear of a jump ball being called. It was her final regulation timeout.
Now it gets even harder for the girls as the margin of error becomes thinner and thinner with each loss. They could've put two w's in the bank, but let both of them slip through their fingertips.
Shorthanded, the 4th graders still hang around
Even playing without two of their top scorers, the 4th grade girls managed to keep the game close until the very end.
With Sofia and Veronica both absent from the lineup, Justina carried the load offensively, but in the end the 4th graders fell 18-7 and dropped back down to .500, entering the break with a record of (2-2).
The girls trailed 6-2 at halftime, but pulled even after two Justina made buckets in the 3rd quarter.
But their opponent went on a 6-0 run to end the third, and the girls never recovered the rest of the way.
They played with only five girls in uniform and their stamina was tested. Towards the end of the game, they began to wear down as going all 24 minutes proved a little too much for the youngest girls team at St. Mary's.
At the midway point, they have two wins, already two more than they had all of last season.
The second half will be crucial as every game could make or break their playoff hopes.
Like most other young teams, little things like not being able to catch a ball, or lobbing passes tend to hurt the girls and lead to dry spells on offense.
However, they've been competitive in every single one of their games this year, a big step forward from their rookie campaign last season.
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