The Shining Comet in a difficult night
Albany forgot to shut the doors to the gym as their shooting was as cold inside as the temperature was outside in their Thursday night matchup against the Blackhawk Warriors. This led to a solid 20 to 1 start for…
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Continue ReadingAlbany forgot to shut the doors to the gym as their shooting was as cold inside as the temperature was outside in their Thursday night matchup against the Blackhawk Warriors. This led to a solid 20 to 1 start for the Blackhawk Warriors and they never looked back. The Warriors dominated every aspect of the game and finished with a solid 72-41 win. However, there were three takeaways from this game.
#1 Bailey Butler for the Warriors is the real deal. Her size at 5’8 helps her run the point guard position for the Warriors. She has the composer and visions that make a great point and is comfortable unleashing a three or posting up on a smaller opponent.
#2 Albany has a star in the making with 5’8 sophomore Brianna Dahl. In a game where the shooting was horrific, Dahl was a shining light in the fog. Dahl has the basketball IQ needed to be a good point guard. She is comfortable with the jumper and has a knack for skating through the defense to the basket. She tends to not show up on defense and get a little lazy but as she grows into the system, her IQ can help correct that. She also has great vision. She persistently probes the defense for the best pass or shot and has some great assists.
#3 Blackhawk wins with pressure. Coach Flanagan has some stars on his team but the most potent weapon is the unrelenting pressure from his defense. The man-to-man full-court press that has a trap at the centerline is their bread and butter. However, if beaten quickly there are opportunities to get an easy bucket.
Overall, this game played out like many believed it would with the Blackhawk Warriors cruising to a victory over a solid Albany squad. However, outside of the expectations and surmounting pressure the Albany Comets faced, we did get to see a solid star on the rise with the Comets Brianna Dahl.