SLIAC

[jdoug2]

Furbug, glad you found some solace in the men's game. And since I have no affiliation with the men's side, I'll be ok.

Glad Lauren had a good first half. Looks like her second half shooting wasn't so hot. She did have 5 assts and 4 steals. I was thinking Fontbonne would win big. They just need to get over that mental hurdle against Maryville.

[hopefan]

Jdoug - If you saw the 2 teams, you might agree that it could be classified as a little more problematic than a 'mental hurdle'.

[jdoug2]

Hopefan, you are correct. It's obviously more than mental. I do think Fontbonne could be more competitive against Maryville. I wish I could break away from work and see the two teams play. Wednesdays just are too tough.

[NO RESPECT]

Guys, for what it's worth, every team in the Sliac is tough. Night in and night out, no matter where you play, you are going to be in a dogfight. My hats go off to all the coaches and players in the conference.

[furbug]

There is a very nice article in this morning's Post Dispatch about Greenville and in particular Natalie Lappe, a very impressive young lady. SLIAC is really doing well lately in terms of local publicity.

[hopefan]

Coach Dubb  -  while I approve of any positive statements made about the SLIAC, one has to be realistic about the level of play in the conference.  Eight of the teams are very competitive vs each other, which makes most games enjoyable to watch - on most nights, they will not be competitve vs Maryville.  And in the same tone of realism, Maryville really is not high on the scale of leaders within the region.

Furbug - I read the same article and will be making it a point to watch the young lady play vs Maryville over at Greenville this afternoon..  I really enjoy that kind of article that highlights one of the SLIAC teams or players.

[NO RESPECT]

Hopefan,

All the teams have to start from somewhere, so playing each other tough is the alpha. I am sure that every team is working hard to challenge Maryville, as they are the top of the mountain.

In due time, the coaches in this conference will produce.

[WU_SID]

Webster-Blackburn game will have live stats. Click on the following link

http://livestats.internetconsult.com/webster/mbball/xlive.htm

[jdoug2]

Fontbonne wins vs Eureka. Not dominating, but a win.

Hopefan, I have to agree with you concerning overall play in the conference. There is Maryville, and everyone else. Granted in the "others" category there is some decent competition. With some teams looking good. It hasn't seemed to help when it comes to playing the big dog. As for Maryville, it would be frustrating to me if I were a fan. None of your conference wins gain you any respect. You have to have a really tough non-conference schedule to get any recognition.

All that being said..... still hoping Fontbonne can pull the huge upset Wednesday.

[y_jack_lok]

in the same tone of realism, Maryville really is not high on the scale of leaders within the region.

Yes, we must be realistic. Maryville lost to Wash U by 29 points and Wash U isn't ranked in the top 25 in the country, although they do have some votes. To further widen the gap, Wash U has only one senior on the team, who doesn't see many minutes, and their best player, a junior, is out for the season with a knee injury, which occured a couple of weeks before the game with Maryville.

[NO RESPECT]

Eureka's record does not reflect how good of a team they are. They have two stud players that can go on a scoring spree at any time. Nicole Fisher and Brittany Gardner are two of the better players in the SLIAC. This also holds true for MacMurry, as they have Abby Lowe, who can score 30 on you in a half.

[hopefan]

Coach Dub - somehow the smaller Illinois SLIAC schools have to figure out how to recruit more numbers to their programs.  Playing with 7 and 8 on the team is simply not condusive to winning, even though, as you point out, there are some good individuals out there.   Part of the reason those individuals have high numbers is likely because they are forced to do more because of the lack of help from teammates.

It doesnt get any better either - both Eureka ladies are seniors - Abby Lowe from Mac is a junior.  And by the way, if you have a tape of her scoring 30 in a half, ... I'd love to see it

I also would point out that Maryville has only one Senior starter - that's 4 starters returning, plus their first two off the bench + the possibility that 3 year starter Sarah Bartolic who has been out all year in a leg cast MAY return next year to play.  That being said, All those players would be seniors next year, so after next year, the conference could be much more equitable.

So the question is, what team has been using lots of sophs and frosh this year that could be termed a good bet for being a leader in two years.

[NO RESPECT]

Hopefan, you make some great points, as numbers do play a huge roll with many of the teams in the SLIAC. I was just saying, that Abby is capable of exploding for 30 quick points in a half.

As for rosters, I hope that every team in this conference does a better job of recruiting, so they can match up with the top teams in the conference. If you look at the standings, there are a couple of suprise teams doing well, and they don't have all seniors.

Teams will just have to stop being so afraid of Maryville, which is what I feel happens when the other SLIAC teams play them...they are afraid before they take the court.

I still have to agree with your argument. Maryville will be good again next season, and they will prolly recruit more good kids the following season so that the program continue to have success.

[HCACBBALL]

I would agree with you that Lowe from MacMurray can put 30 on you in a half.  I believe she had 21 1st half against Fontbonne at Fontbonne.  There are some young coaches in the SLIAC such as Hearn from Eureka and Jensen from MacMurray.  Lets give them a year or two to see how they do with filling up rosters.  Personally I believe both of them will be fine. 

[jdoug2]

Keep in mind it's not just numbers. Fontbonne has 20 on it's roster and hasn't touched Maryville yet. And since I've only seen a couple of SLIAC teams I can't judge their talent level.  My brother in law did say Eureka had 2 really good players. He also said they only played 6 kids in the game vs Fontbonne. That's a tough one.