WBB: GSAC

MCScotsFan · February 10, 2007, 08:26:59 PM

So good to hear Alex is healing and her rehab is going so well!!! I can't wait to see her play next year.

Big game tomorrow. Piedmont is the sweetest win to me personally and I hope we get tomorrow.
Have my ressies for GSAC tourney.

I think these girls are ready!!

GottaHaveHeart · February 12, 2007, 10:25:02 AM

Nice win for the ladies against Piedmont. Looks like another regular season conference championship with 2 games remaining. Congrats to 1st year Coach Pardue. Munday played like the Munday of old. I say they will probably see Piedmont again in the Conference Tournament Championship game.

scottiedoug · February 12, 2007, 12:21:10 PM

Here is the link to Marcus; nice article in the DailyTimes about the Piedmont game:
http://www.thedailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/SPORTS/702120314

Having Natalie playing well really adds a lot to this team. Piedmont's big post player was hurt, so a rematch ought to be interesting!

MCScotsFan · February 12, 2007, 06:39:29 PM

I agree, Natalie played much better ball and seemed more content on the court but I still didn't think she looked "happy" on the court. I want her to be content and happy at MC. I hope she can work through it. I REALLY want her to stay and play and feel good about it. She is an awesome player.

scottiedoug · February 12, 2007, 11:33:41 PM

How are we to know if anyone is "happy?" Maybe if her ankle and calf do not hurt and she is in playing shape, she'll be happier. I would think a player who had the kind of game she had Sat. would have a few "happy" thoughts! This team is good and getting better and can be a real force next year, too.

MCScotsFan · February 14, 2007, 07:18:13 PM

While I do agree with you asnd that we can't really tell most of time, I think Natalie wears her feelings on her sleeve and is easy to read. I will not overstep my bounds and say anything else, but I will say that I do you are right and I do think if she can get well and get in shape, she'll be happier with herself, her effectiveness on the court and even with a new coach at the wheel. I am a huge Natalie fan, she might as well belong to me. I do want to see her happy and successful. She has great potential. I will do nothing but give her support.

I think they are playing better as a team and are stepping up with each week that passes. There is so much talent on this Lady Scots team.
I can't wait until the GSAC tourney. I'm hoping we sweep.

MCScotsFan · February 14, 2007, 07:26:31 PM

Oh and super nice article on Beth Reed in this week's Blount Today.

http://www.blounttoday.com/blnt/home/article/0,2355,BLNT_18867_5351529,00.html

scottiedoug · February 15, 2007, 10:57:05 PM

Maryville handled Tennessee Wesleyan, a good NAIA team that beat King, rather easily tonight. They are playing very well!

GottaHaveHeart · February 16, 2007, 01:15:55 PM

The ladies played very well. I know most of the players on Tn Wes and figured it would be a much tougher game. It was really not as close as the final score, if not for the late run Tn Wes had.

I wish we could improve on 3 things going into post season: (1) keeping the intensity level up when we got the hammer down on teams. We have had a few teams way down this year and let them back in the game. (2) Improve on our overall defense. Too much penetration and coast to coast layups for the other teams. (3) Rebounding....Katie had 17 of our total 33 rebounds last night. She needs help. We gave up 13 offensive and we only had 7.

I don't know what issues there are with the Coach and Natalie, but somebody better figure it out quick. How do you go from being a major force, scoring 17 points against a good Piedmont team, to being a non-factor and not scoring at all against Tn Wes. I feel if we are going to go deep in the NCAA Tournament, we have got to have her playing well. Its obvious to me from what I have seen this year, if she is involved, getting some touches, getting minutes, the better she plays. She doesn't react good at all to being put in and then taken out within a couple of minutes. Just my opinion.....

scottiedoug · February 16, 2007, 04:53:52 PM

I agree the Scots are more potent with Natalie contributing. I have no earthly idea how the coach decides on playing time. Natalie had 21 minutes against Peidmont and 15 against TN Wesleyan. She was way more productive per minute in the 21 minutes than in the 15. Statistically, she did not contribute anything last night and 15 minutes is long enough to score or rebound or steal or assist or something. Pardue was quoted in the paper after Piedmont saying she had shown her real potential self, so there was no hint she had gotten crosswise with him. Beats me.

GottaHaveHeart · February 19, 2007, 10:21:44 AM

What a terrible loss for the ladies. What in the world happened. Beat them by 35 at home and lose down there. Our defense, as I have stated in earlier posts, have been a concern of mine all year. Sometimes, you are going to have a off night and you got to be able to clamp down and get stops. Home court is not worth 24 more points.

They may have to win tournament now to get a NCAA Tournament bid.

scottiedoug · February 19, 2007, 11:51:01 AM

If they cannot beat Agnes Scott and/or Piedmont in the GSAC tournament, they would not be likely to do much in the NCAA anyway....

Mel and Beth only Scots in double figures. They must have sat on the posts and Summer.

scottiedoug · February 19, 2007, 11:25:25 PM

Box score says Summer did not play at all. I am guessing the ankle she rolled before the TNWesleyan game was worse than it seemed that night.

batteredbard · February 20, 2007, 05:44:11 PM

Also note that saxe fouled out and played just 22 minutes. That's one starter out, another limited by fouls and remember that one of the Scotties post did not play in the game at MC. On the right night ASC has a lot of inside presence. If Saxe was in foul trouble and Munday not inspired then Sealsimply doesn't have the size against that front line. Since she was only 1-for-6 I'm guessing she struggled against those two bigger ASC posts.

The team has some big goals left. Taking care of (Ga.) Wesleyan (congrats on breaking the streak Sunday refer Daily Dose if you missed the Fisk game results) and getting to LaGrange is No. 1 now. The way the brackets break down they could play the semifinal against Agnes Scott and it will be a tough match with with Piedmont, not that I'd count out LaGrange playing spoiler at home if they beat Huntingdon tonight. LaGrange has done some really nice things this year and looks to be an up and comer into that top group of MC, PC and ASC.

If MC is going to make any kind of postseason run, you almost have to have Natalie playing well. I don't think she has to dominate like she did last season to really help the chances. She has the skills to be the off guard and help bring the ball up against a press, she can relieve Summer by taking a few 3s from her spot at the top of the key (not the corner) and she can help Saxe inside. The question is No. 1 can she do it physically? and No. 2 will she do it if she can?

By that you notice how many times she drifts to the perimeter outside of the offense. Not drastically but to make a comparison to the men's team. She's tended to be on the outside of the paint Like Bradley Blair, when al her success last year was being the extra foot or two lower to the goal and making moves like Golden. That extra foot or two has her out of position for rebounds and because she makes an extra step to the basket, draws more travel calls plus when there's contact the refs are more likely to give her the charge because she's that much more powerful than most posts her height.

Wish I had the answer as to what it would take to get Nat going. Before Summer was hurt she was the missing piece for this tam to be back in the top 25. With Summer hurt she's the neccesary scoring piece to compensate for Summer in both scoring and in keeping defenses from totally collapsing on Saxe. I don't know if MC gets past the semis on neutral court without either Summer playing at 70% or better OR Munday making up the difference. The Scots have a lot of pieces but none of them really match up well with ASC without one of those two happening.

GottaHaveHeart · February 20, 2007, 11:07:21 PM

I am confused or maybe just dont understand the Coach's thinking.

With Summer being out, and definitely needing to get Munday motivated and on track, he starts the Brown kid ahead of her. Kind of a slap in the face to Natalie I would say. Nothing against the Brown kid, but she is not a difference maker yet, as Natalie is. Natalie has been there from the start, and as they say, been there, done that. It's tournament time.