Looking pleased after his team's 12-point victory Saturday afternoon, Red Lion girls' basketball coach Don Dimoff wore a bright smile as he prepared for his post-game interview with the same reporter he spoke with 18 hours prior when his team wrapped up a 41-31 victory at South Western.
"You got to see night and day between these two games," Dimoff said.
Whether or not Dimoff was trying to be witty (it literally was a difference between night and day, with the first game being played in the evening and the second in the afternoon), he made it clear he felt much better about his team's execution in Saturday's win over Council Rock North.
The passing was crisper, the shooting was more accurate, and the defense was tougher. There was one important element, however, that was a consistent presence in both Red Lion wins.
Patience.
On Friday, the Lions spent the end of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter moving the ball around the perimeter, killing time and working the clock before taking a shot. That strategy only works if the Lions keep turnovers to a minimum, make smart decisions and only pull the trigger at the most optimal moment. Check, check and check.
It was much of the same on Saturday, although it all seemed a lot more smooth the second time. Back door cuts and crisp passes left the Indians helpless.
"We worked the ball through our offense," said senior guard Taylor Miller after Saturday's win. "We didn't force anything. We worked it around and that made them come out and we got easy back doors and easy things out of the offense by just running through it."
With the kind of patience and poise the Lions showed in their last two wins, they are going to be hard group for any YAIAA team to stop in next week's league tournament.
Leave a comment