Hailey Oien leads the Pioneers back down the court after blocking a shot by the Eagles and recovering the ball.
Tamra Andell shoots for two of her four points against the Eagles. Andell led the Pioneers in scoring in the A Game.
Elizabeth Boyd shoots and sinks her two points in the second half of the A Game.
Lily Van Grinsven puts up two for the Potomac Pioneers in the B Game against SLE. Van Grinsven led the scoring for the Pioneers making two of their three points.
Shaelyn Arnold gets the rebound in the A game against SLE.
POTOMAC - "From personal experience, you learn you can't give up so easily," said eighth grade Potomac Pioneer Hailey Oien. Although the Pioneers girls basketball team has not won a game yet, they are working hard for the upcoming games and looking forward to tournaments.
This season the Potomac Girls Basketball team has 15 members between the fifth through eighth grades. "That is a lot for a small school," said girls basketball coach Raynee Pace.
Pace said the A team are seventh and eighth graders but a couple of the fifth and sixth graders get worked into the games here and there.
The B team is mostly fifth and sixth graders. "They have been playing against some tough seventh [grade] teams but they are always so excited to play hard and score some points," said Pace.
Pace thinks the season is going really well. Despite some illness and missing some practices and games, the players are recovering and ready for the remainder of the season.
The team this year is divided on their basketball experience and has been learning.
"About half the girls on the team have played before, and it is so fun to see their excitement as they score their first points, get a good rebound, or run their plays successfully," said Pace.
Pace said, "For some of the older girls who are first time players we focus a lot on ball movement, making good passes and working up the confidence to shoot the ball when they have an open shot."
A few of the girls have played since fifth grade, like Tamra Andell along with Oien. Pace has seen them take on a leadership role and work technique in their playing.
Oien agrees. "I have enjoyed learning and being able to play my favorite sport. I would tell the younger girls to never give up, size doesn't matter and keep your head up... you can do it!"
The new players have a strategy of trying to build fundamentals while making sure the girls are comfortable passing, shooting and dribbling. Pace said, "Playing good defense with the hopes that those skills will come naturally during intense first-time game situations."
"You have to be able to take a hit and get back up and keep playing," Oien said. "[My] best experience has been bonding with my teammates that normally I wouldn't be able to be with. You always have to try."
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