LF_012617

LakeForestLeader.com sports
the lake forest leader | January 26, 2017 | 29
Girls basketball
Defense propels
Raiders to win
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
For many teams, getting
off to a strong start is key
to not only the flow of the
game, but how the game
may eventually end up.
For North Shore Country
Day School, its game
against Woodlands Academy
on Wednesday, Jan.
19, was one where the
Raiders used full-court
pressure to take early control
of the game. NSCDS
(13-2, 5-2) forced seven
turnovers in the Wildcats’
first nine possessions, including
five steals and
didn’t allow Woodlands
to get past midcourt for
the first 80 seconds of the
game. The defense helped
the Raiders get out to a
12-0 lead that extended to
a 24-2 lead after the first
quarter, one they would
never relinquish in their
50-19 win.
“Full-court press is always
really important in
the first part of the game
because it’s always important
to get off to high
pressure and high defense
and control the tempo,”
NSCDS senior co-captain
Grace Atia said.
The full-court press
is something the team
has worked on all year
and tries to implement to
throw teams off. However,
the Raiders dropped their
press after the first quarter.
“The level of pressure
depends on the situation
and the level we’re playing
usually,” Atia said.
After struggling in the
first quarter, the Wildcats
offense settled down and
the defense adjusted to
slow down the Raiders offense.
Woodlands (4-11,
0-5 Independent School
League) outscored NSCDS
9-5 in the quarter and held
the Raiders scoreless for
over four minutes. Unfortunately
for the Wildcats,
they were only able to score
three points in that period
and weren’t able to close
the gap any more, trailing
29011 at the half.
“I think their offense
started to flow better and
they started to get really
good passes, but then I
think we started to see those
passes and were able to cut
them off,” Atia added.
An interesting aspect of
the game was that NSCDS
coach Bruce Blair subbed
out his entire starting
lineup to start the second
quarter and played an entire
new crew. The team
would then start the second
half with the starters
again, before eventually
subbing all of them out as
the game got out of hand.
The second half started
off like the first, with Atia
knocking down a jumper,
starting a 13-1 lead
that further extended the
NSCDS lead to 42-12. The
Raiders held the Wildcats
scoreless for nearly five
minutes.
The NSCDS defense
was at it again in the final
quarter, holding Woodlands
to three points,
forcing the Wildcats into
1-of-9 shooting and five
turnovers.
Amita led all scorers
with 12 points, while Julia
Doyle had 11, Lauren
Kaplinsky had nine, Emily
Lubin had six and Olivia
Woodlands Academy’s Elizabeth Bartusiak passes the ball. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw/22nd Century Media
Kayser had four.
Seniors Elizabeth Bartusiak
and Catie Slaughter
led the Wildcats with
four points apiece, while
Jerusalem Adams-Shepard
and Genevieve Kerns each
added three points.
The Raiders are off to
their best start since the
2008-09 season and have
already amassed more
wins in a season since
that year. That year is also
the last time North Shore
Country Day won a regional
title.
“It’s a great feeling
to get off to such a good
start,” Atia said. It’s really
nice to have that start as
a team, because it shows
off the hard work we’ve
put in.
“It’s a great team, we
work well together, we lift
each other up. Overall, it’s
just a great team.”
Right: Bartusiak brings
the ball up the court.