7th grade girls basketball season was all about learning

It was a season of learning fundamentals and individual improvement for the members of the CGD seventh grade girls basketball team. We spent time in almost every practice working on high-percentage shots and emphasizing the importance of rebounding. For a group of players that had virtually no game experience prior to this season, it was exciting watching them grasp some of the concepts needed to help them excel over the next few years.

Lexie Lane and Brynn Smith led our scoring stats for the season. Their athleticism resulted in numerous fast-break points. Karlee Lehman and Clarissa Hasty served as our primary ball handlers and were always willing to work hard on defense. Payton DeCoster and Giselle Madrigales are both tenacious rebounders and displayed great energy all season long. Abby Dorn has a high basketball ‘IQ’, and her clock management helped secure victories over St. Ed and Eagle Grove.

Yaneth Perez and MacKenna Hasty were our third and fourth leading scorers, respectively. Yaneth has the knack to often find herself in the right place for a layup, while MacKenna was willing to drive to the hoop when she found an opening. Melendy Borrayes was taking a lot of pride in her defense at the end of the season. She came up with multiple steals in our last couple games, and would refuse to allow easy transition opportunities for our opponents. Ashley Velasquez and Marlene Hernandez were always willing to contend for loose balls and would often out-muscle larger opponents for rebounds. Unfortunately, Galaxy Banse was injured for a large part of the season but kept a positive attitude and was willing to help out however she could.

In addition to the two wins already listed, the squad also defeated Hampton-Dumont twice. We suffered close losses in games to Iowa Falls-Alden, St. Ed and South Hamilton. Although we lost by a wider margin in games against Clear Lake (twice), Algona (twice), Humboldt and Webster City, I was proud of the team’s attitude. They represented our school district with dignity and relentless effort.

-- Comments from Coach Dahlke