The Beauty of Teamwork, Bobcats Capture W Against Cardinals

The saying goes, "There is no 'I' in team" but people often joke by saying, "There is a 'me' though." While I have never really given this statement much thought beyond a quick laugh, after the Bobcats match-up against Ball State Saturday I realized it is so true!! The way I see it is everyone has an individual role on a team and each player is responsible for focusing in on that role. At the same time, each player is responsible for a role only because she is one piece of a larger puzzle that all comes together to produce the best product. If everyone buys into their roles, or their pieces of the puzzle, then the end goal will be accomplished.

Ohio did exactly that to capture a big W against the Cardinals. Da'Keisha Mann is still not playing because of a violation of team policy and Thia Gholson, one of Ohio's most powerful rebounders, missed the contest due to a back injury. It was time for the younger players to show that they were ready to step in and fill the gaps and wow did they execute! All but one player that stepped on to the floor scored a basket. The one that did not score, Lyles, was an absolute spark off the bench and caused significant havoc on defense. Bench players Maxine Ohakim, Carolyn Barnett and Danielle Woodmore were outstanding. Ohakim used her great size and strength to keep Ball State off the boards, Barnett once again was good for a few quick scores and steals and Woodmore used her unprecedented quickness to penetrate the gaps and open up shots for her seniors.

Speaking of the seniors...wow. Jennifer Bushby made the defense look silly. She played like she was straight from the "And1" commercials putting up a season high 23 points and seven rebounds. Her fellow senior Jenny Poff added 14. This was no easy win either. The ball game was tied six times and the lead changed nine times. Other than against Akron, this is the only time Ohio was able to finish down the stretch.

Remember when I got excited about 22 turnovers? How about 15 against Ball State!! Wahoo! Now, we can't get too excited because it was a game of two half court zone defenses so 15 isn't actually that great but hey we will take it! Next up is Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. Game starts Wednesday night at 7:00. You can tune in by visiting ohiobobcats.com. Until then, so long!

Fun Fact: Jennifer Bushby is only 14 points away from 1,000 at OU!

Go Bobcats!

Close Doesn't Cut It!

It is Friday afternoon and I am STILL thinking about Wednesday night's devastating loss to Eastern Michigan. The Eagles came in posting a 14-4 record and a win was not looking promising for a 5-14 Ohio. However, the Bobcats surprised everyone. Ohio NEVER trailed until Eastern's very last possession of the game when Huntley hit a crucial three-pointer to clinch the win.

If you can imagine winning for close to an entire game until the last few seconds, the only seconds that truly matter, and then losing to a team who is number one in Mid-American Conference defense and number two in scoring. AHHH!!! It was certainly frustrating for everyone who was rooting for the home team. Lets check out the positives of the situation though:

1. In the beginning of the season this most likely would have been a blow out game with Ohio on the losing end. 

2. Ohio was shooting nearly 50 percent from downtown with 2:00 left to play against a tenacious Eagle defense.

3. Ohio only had 22 turnovers!! (For those of you who have not been following the team very closely you are probably wondering why I am getting excited about 22 TOs. Well let's just say this ball club turned it over 39 times against Florida. Now do you get it?)

4. The Bobcats have now held it's last two opponents under 60 points. Both Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, teams who are averaging over 70, could not break the 60 mark against an all around team effort defense from Ohio.  

5. With Da'Keisha Mann out for violating team policy, this game was a great opportunity for young faces to step up and Symone Lyles did just that. She was a spark defensively and was reliable on offense. I think we will see more of her from now on. 

There are always positives to take away from even the most devastating games. This group of girls is continuing to improve. Luckily, after the game, the players had to come back out immediately to sign autographs for the elementary school kids so they had no chance to pout. The only thing they had time to do was just throw a big smile on and put the game in the past. It's time to prepare for the Ball State Cardinals who are coming to A-town for a 2:00 tip Saturday! Come support! 

Also, every post I will have a "Fun Fact" at the end. Just a little something to look forward to:)

Fun Fact from the Eastern game: Ohio's own Jenny Poff sang the national anthem. She has mentioned trying out for the next season of American Idol once her basketball career is finished. She also promised she would sing a little tune to post on the blog! For now, here is a clip of the National Anthem: Poff National Anthem

Go Bobcats! 

What's My Blog All About?

Hello my friends,

We are up and running! Scoop on Hoops is all you need to know about Ohio University Women's Basketball. Men's basketball is exciting, and I have nothing against the boys, but it is time that the women's fans have more to read about and a place to interact! On my blog I will have game recaps, season highs and lows, discussions about individual players who have unique talents, stories from the long buss trips and hotels and much more as the season unfolds. These girls work their butts off every single day and we are going to have fun following the team's journey!