New Bloomfield was talking about defending the post after its game Monday against Eugene.
The Lady Wildcats opened their home and Show-Me Conference schedule against three-time reigning district champion and Class 2 No. 7 team Eugene, losing 66-55.
New Bloomfield came back in the second half behind a surge from senior Asya Nichols - who scored all 15 of her points in the latter half - but the Lady Eagles received big second halves from its post players Olivia Angerer and Kaylee Kempker.
Head coach Curt Riley said New Bloomfield (3-3, 0-1 SMC) had a hard time defending Eugene's length, as the tallest player the Lady Wildcats have is 5-foot-9 senior Ellie Emerson. Because of that, the Lady Wildcats had to take special precautions to contain the Lady Eagles' post game.
"We couldn't get them stopped in the paint. Their kids had a lot more length than we had," Riley said. "I told the girls we got to work early. You can let them get you down that deep in the paint. There's nothing you can do with them because we're not that long so you have to meet them (at the top of the key) and not let them get to that spot."
Eugene (3-3, 1-0 SMC) was ahead after the first quarter 13-7, thanks to a 9-5 run as Angerer had it going early with six of her game-high 18 points.
New Bloomfield still searched for offense in the second quarter, as junior Avery Nichols was able to hit a 3-pointer, but the shots from deep were scarce as the Lady Wildcats went into halftime down 24-17.
Riley said it was important for his team to keep shooting, as he has several good shooters that were getting some open looks. Sometimes, the misses pile up regardless of the quality of the shots.
"That's part of our game," Riley said. "We're trying to push and get up the back. That's just part if it. You have open looks, and if the shot doesn't fall, it doesn't fall. There's nothing you can do about that."
Asya Nichols is one of those good shooters wearing the orange and black, and she didn't have any points after one half despite her best efforts. The shots started falling for her in the third quarter, scoring eight straight Lady Wildcat points as they cut the Eugene lead to 42-39 after three quarter.
Emerson also dinged the Lady Eagles' defense, finding some points inside against the lanky Angerer and even hitting a 3-pointer. She finished with 10 points, making her one of three Lady Wildcats to score in double figures as Avery Nichols finished with 13 points.
The opening seconds of the fourth quarter belonged to Asya Nichols, as she hit a quick 3-pointer to tie the game and then aggressively stole the in-bounds pass to lay in the go-ahead bucket and give New Bloomfield a 44-42 lead - its first lead since the opening seconds in the game when junior Brinley Dysart started the game off with a 3-pointer.
Riley said Asya Nichols gave the Lady Wildcats just what they needed in the second half and also what they expect from her.
"We got to get Asya going. Asya's a huge part of what we have to do and what we're trying to do," Riley said. "She's a scouting report kid now. She's on every scouting report, and the kid can shoot it. She's a tough kid, and she shot the heck out of it in the second half."
The Lady Eagles, however, also got what they needed from Angerer and Kempker. Angerer surpassed her first-half point total in the third quarter with 10 points, while Kempker led the charge as Eugene went on an 11-0 run to take a 53-44 lead with five minutes left in the game.
Kempker scored all of her 13 points in the second half, but the Lady Eagles also had good fourth quarters from junior Ashlynn Kliethermes and senior Lamajah Johnson, who finished with 10 and nine points, respectively.
Riley said New Bloomfield needs to continue to work as the Lady Wildcats' record is at 3-3 - the same record they had through six games the previous season. New Bloomfield has a second chance for its first home win tonight when it hosts Belle (1-4).
"I've got to figure out a way to give my post defenders help," Riley said. "Of course, we don't have a chance to work on it because we have a game (tonight) too. I'll stay up late tonight trying to figure out a way to get it done, and we'll get back after it (today)."