Titans extinguish Blazers

DEC. 8, ALBERT EINSTEIN--
After a hard fought battle, the Blair varsity girls' basketball team was defeated in their second game of the season by the Einstein Titans, 63-50.
The Blazers were on fire during the first quarter, opening up with explosive offensive and defensive performances. With several quick passes between sophomore Jenny Williams and junior Meghan Cadigan, Williams swiftly scored the first basket of the game. Early in this very physical game, the Blazer's defense had no trouble staying on top (sometimes literally) of their opponents. But, as the game wore on, the girls seemed to lose their momentum. After several missed shots and sloppy rebounds in the second quarter, the players lost their ability to dominate their side of the court. A lack of communication lead to a few unlucky missed rebounds, and defensive lapses left many of the Einstein girls open for easy passes and shots.
The second quarter was highlighted by ambitious shots and fouls. The Titans capitalized on the Blazer's errors and scored six easy free throws. In addition to their own self-inflicted wounds, the Blazers struggled to control Einstein's speedy point guard, senior Danielle Pettis. Pettis was a menace on defense, turning quick steals into easy transition baskets. Blair was able to regain its defensive posture early in the third quarter, and when Einstein fouled junior Regat Buluze, both shots landed with a swoosh. But as the minutes ticked by, the Titans stole possession and scored basket after basket, ending the third quarter with a 17 point lead.
By the fourth quarter, the girls looked like they had lost a lot of confidence and energy. After a couple of trips and falls, the girls tried to pump up the plays by an impressive rebound steal and a score. There was a quick stop in the game because the clock wasn't stopped between the third and fourth quarter, which gave the Blazers a quick breather. With the game back on, junior Molly Martinez scored a much needed basket. But after a few more shots on Blair's basket, with little over three minutes left in the game, the girls started to panic and seemed to lose focus. With six seconds left in the game, the Blazers gave it all they had and after a series of clean cut passes, Cadigan scored.
After the game Coach James Mogge seemed disappointed by the girls' performance, but remained optimistic about their future. Mogge cited a lack of physical preparation as the main reason the team lost. "[We're] not in as good a shape, physically, as we should be," said Mogge, adding that the team has a whole week off to practice and train until their next game. Cadigan was equally confident about Blair's abilities to stick together and turn up the heat in the future. "The one thing I love about our team is that we never give up, no matter what the situation is. We'll get it together."