It’s basketball season once again, and the Concord girls’ basketball team kicked off their season Tuesday night at home against Hanover Horton. Both teams started off strong and fought a tough battle but came up short at the end. The final score for the JV game was 36-46, and the final score for the varsity game was 37-45.
The JV team started off strong in the first quarter scoring 13 points. In the second quarter, Hailey Stimer and Lilie Vandenburgh each added 4 points. This brought the game to 21-25, with Concord right on Hanover’s heels. During the 3rd quarter, Concord advanced to 27 points with the help of Marissa Mandrelle and Avery Arbuckle. Concord then added another 9 points, ending the game 36-46.
After the game, Sophomore Bella Coppernoll discussed her thoughts on the JV game: “I feel like we had very good teamwork and fought till the very end.” Coppernoll also adds what she thinks she did the best at: “I think I did pretty well at getting open under the basket.”
The varsity team started off just as strong as the JV and ended up scoring 11 points in the first quarter, making the score 11-13. In the second quarter Maria Stevens added 4 points, and Cece Barrett along with Grace Thorrez each added 2. This made the score 19-22 at the half. In the third quarter, the team continued to work hard and were able to add 9 points. This made the score 28-32 as the game moved onto the fourth quarter. Then with the help of Thorrez adding 4 points and Stimer adding 2, the score became 34-45. The game ended with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer shot by Bradie Lehman, making the final score 37-45.
Reflecting on their performance, Varsity team co-captain, junior Hannah Stimer says, “I feel that our team had very good defense and ball pressure today which helped us to stay in the game as long as we did.” Stimer also adds what the team still needs to work on, “I think that our team needs to work on execution on offense.”
When it comes to basketball, it is not only about the player. The coaches are an essential part as well. This year, Concord decided to hire two new coaches for girls’ basketball, both of whom are already a part of the Concord Community and know the players outside of basketball. Mike Arbuckle is a teacher here at Concord and has taken the position of the JV coach, while ArShawn Parker, the middle school principal, has taken responsibility for the varsity team.
JV coach Mike Arbuckle comments on his decision to coach, “I coached for about 10 years while my kids were young. As my kids have gotten older, I really just enjoyed being a dad and not their coach. I instantly missed coaching. Coaching is more than wins and losses; it’s about growing young men and women and teaching perseverance and work ethic.” Coaching allows Mr. Arbuckle to teach these skills. After the game, Mr. Arbuckle was asked about the game, and he responded, “There’s three things I tell the girls, and that is to play unselfish, play together, and play hard, and I feel like we need to work a little more on playing together, but we played hard and unselfish for sure.”
Varsity coach ArShawn Parker also explains why he wanted to coach, “I wanted to help build a positive culture and develop the girls as individuals and a team.” After the exciting game, ArShawn discussed how it went, “I talk about two things, effort and execution, and I am unbelievably proud of how the girls played. They gave great effort the entire game, especially on the defensive end.”
Senior Maria Stevens is co-captain of the varsity team and has participated in Concord basketball all four years of her high school career, meaning she has seen firsthand the changes and developments of Concord girls’ basketball. When asked about the recent coach change, she responded, “The coach change has already made our team gain a lot of progress despite the short time we’ve had together. There is much more organization, and we are working a lot harder this year.” Stevens also adds that the team is a lot more relaxed, which helps their overall performance.
Come support our girls’ team on December 7th at home against Michigan Center. The JV game will begin at 5:30 and the Varsity will start at 7:00. Be loud and be proud!
