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!