Steph MangoldThe freshmen of the women’s basketball team have their coaches excited with their performance in the Cabrini Tip-Off Tournament.
With the help of 10 freshmen, the Lady Cavs overcame the much-taller Lincoln University Lady Lions by a score of 64-56 in their first game on Friday Nov. 22.
Freshmen guard Amy Richetti chalked-up six points and four rebounds in the win. Richetti, who felt the size of the Lady Lions was initially intimidating, said, “That all changed when I stepped onto the court.”
“Although Amy is the smallest girl on the court, she has the most heart the coaching staff has seen in a while,” head coach Darlene Hildebrand said.
In the first game, the Lady Cavs came out intense, but lacked fundamentally sound play. “It definitely looked like a first game,” assistant coach Steve Harrow said.
Throughout the tournament, the Lady Cavs had trouble with turnovers and rebounds. Freshmen forward Lauren Budweg said, “We are not as big as most of the teams we play. We really need to work hard in practice when it comes to boxing players out for rebounds.”
At the end of the first half of play, the Lady Cavs led 30-25 and held the lead for the duration of the game.
Throughout the game, the Lady Lions lacked discipline. Harrow said of the Lady Lions, “Their game was very much a street-ball style of play, with some fundamentals thrown in.”
The team came up short in their second game with a loss to the Wilkes University Lady Colonels by a score of 74-72 in overtime.
After a dramatic ending to the second half with an unexpected three-point shot by Richetti, Cabrini lost 74-72 to Wilkes in overtime on Saturday, Nov. 23.
In the first half, the women’s basketball team got off to a slow start. They did not have control over the ball and lost many points by allowing numerous turnovers. The Lady Cavs did manage to score more points to end the first half, in the last five minutes.
They entered the second half down by 10 points, but the Lady Cavs caught up with a two-to-four-point margin within the initial five minutes. Timing became critical towards the end and the Lady Cavs tried desperately to move ahead of Wilkes, or at least tie the game.
In the last minute where Richetti scored a three-pointer, the Lady Cavs jumped ecstatically at the hope of having another chance to win in overtime.
“It takes a lot of guts for a freshman to go and make a shot like that,” Budweg said.
In overtime, the Lady Cavs’ extra adrenaline prompted them to try several three-point shots, but ultimately caused their downfall.
However, Cabrini won the runner-up place in the Tip-Off Tournament. Budweg came out to accept the 2002 All-Tournament Team player award for Cabrini.
“I didn’t expect it at all. I think it had a great deal to do with the turn out of the crowd. To have people show up, with all that was going on, was just great. I just hope it continues,” Budweg said.
A friend of Budweg’s from high school and a current Cabrini freshman, Amanda Farrington, said, “It’s amazing how Lauren’s gotten even better under coach Hildebrand.”
For all of the games in the Tip-Off Tournament, the crowd came out to show support for the women’s basketball team.
Kira Nelsen, a freshman, said, “As long as they played as well as they did this weekend, they should have a really good season.”
“We are a young and energetic team, much different than last year’s team. It’s great to see youth at work,” Hildebrand said.
