A few days ago during the Lakers-Pistons broadcast, Los Angeles Lakers color commentator Stu Lance said this: "The three ball can certainly keep you in the game, but it can also definitely shoot you out of the game." Stu's sentiment that night showcased the latter of his quote; the Pistons attempted nearly thirty three-pointers in the second half, and destroyed any chance they had of making a comeback against LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers.
During the Geffen Academy Girls Varsity Basketball last Tuesday, a similar strategy of extensive three-point shooting was employed by the University Prep Value Wolves. The Wolves were jacking up long range missiles without hesitation nearly every trip down the floor, and were not converting at nearly a high enough rate to continue to justify shooting so many treys. Perhaps they stayed true to their strategy because they knew they had no chance of stopping Bruins center Ciahna McNairy, who tallied eighteen points and twenty rebounds. McNairy, who manned the painted area the entire contest, kept the Wolves stuck on the perimeter for all four quarters. Guards Mion Kamiya and Maddie Sugimoto contributed with eleven and ten points, respectively, and negated nearly every three that happened to fall for University Prep.
The loss did not come without a negative, however. Starting center and freshman Isabella Michels was injured mere minutes into the game, and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. This could be a devastating loss for the Bruins, as they have already been running small-ball lineups for most of their games. The injury to Michels leaves McNairy as the only true center on the Geffen Academy roster, and for a team that has already dealt with absences, the Bruins cannot really afford too many more injuries. However, despite the wound to the Bruins' roster, they picked up a big-time win, their second victory of the year and are trending upwards right now in their league.
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