Head coach Curt Riley was pleased with the effort of his team but felt New Bloomfield came up just short Saturday at Harrisburg.
The Lady Wildcats were within three points after a 3-pointer with about two minutes left in the game but turned the ball over on three straight possessions as New Bloomfield lost 50-43. Junior Brooklynn Smith hit that 3-pointer as part of her nine-point night to lead the team, which had points coming from everyone who played.
Riley said this year's Lady Wildcats (0-1) faired better against Harrisburg (1-0) than the team last season that lost 42-30, so the performance for the first game was good outside of the late turnovers and the free throws made by the Lady Bulldogs. Harrisburg went 21-for-35 at the free throw line while New Bloomfield was 10-for-20, which he felt gave the Lady Bulldogs the edge they needed for the win.
"The two things that pop out in our game is our free-throw shooting and we fouled too much," Riley said. "But that's part of the game, and it was the first game on the road. Harrisburg is a really tough place to play. I'm the new coach and we're doing some new things, but I was really pleased with the effort."
Riley said he liked how some girls played coming off the bench and how the Lady Wildcats were balanced across the stat sheet. Senior Asya Nichols finished with eight points while junior Brinley Dysart added seven points. Riley said there were a couple more who scored five points as well for the Lady Wildcats as they trailed 25-22 at halftime and 39-35 after three quarters.
Up until the final two minutes, Riley said New Bloomfield hadn't turned the ball over too much, as it was only those late possessions where the team had trouble. The Lady Wildcats have the first game out of the way and should be more accustomed to playing in real game situations before they travel to Calvary Lutheran on Tuesday.
"We had opportunities late, and we just turned the ball over. That's just part of it," Riley said. "There are some things we got to get better at, and we will."