Angelina WagnerThe women’s basketball team was undefeated in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference until they lost to Gwynedd Mercy College, 70-60, on Saturday, Feb. 1. Up until that meet both teams had not suffered a loss in the PAC.
This loss brings the team’s record to 9-9 overall and 8-1 in the PAC.
“We knew we had to play hard because we are the only two undefeated teams in the PAC, and after today one of us would not be,” Hannah Welker, freshman, said.
The Lady Cavs kept the score tight the entire game, with the lead changing four times. By the end of the first half, the Lady Cavs were down by eight points.
In the second half, the Lady Cavs started out well but by the end they looked tired and were unable to prevent Gwynedd Mercy from scoring. Offensive rebounds played a key factor. Captain Lisa Kqira, senior, said, “We played really hard but we need to work on our offensive rebounding.” The Lady Cavs only had 12 offensive rebounds of their 45 rebounds.
The game was “youth versus experience,” head coach Darlene Hillebrand said. For the Lady Cavs, three of the starters were freshman with three more freshman substitutes coming into the game. The team’s hopes are that it will only get stronger and more experienced as the season progresses.
As far as the PAC playoffs go, “I think we are still going, this loss sets us back but it is not a dagger,” Hillebrand said. Although the team lost, its coach is still pleased with the way they performed. “The team played its heart out, I cannot fault their efforts,” Hillebrand said.
With five games left in the season, the team and coach can get over this loss and move forward. “They gave me everything they had. I could not ask for anything else,” Hillebrand said.
The Lady Cavs pick up after the loss at College Misericordia on Saturday, Feb. 8.
