There is no reason that Griner should be more that 5 feet from the basket on the defensive end. She is chasing her player up to the free throw line and at times out to the three point line. That is the coach's fault.
I can only imagine what Mulkey will do when she gets Griner in her offense. I feel bad for Griner that her coaches and teammates could not find a way to get her the ball so that she could have had more of an impact on the outcome of the game. There have been times when they couldn't even throw the ball high enough to ensure that only Griner could reach it.
Why is Summit fouling Griner? They are not going to affect the shot and they are just giving Nimitz a chance to get closer.
Congrats to Summit. They were better coached and have a better overall team than Nimitz and deserved to win.
i only caught the 2nd half of this game, and yeah, no movement on offense for Nimitz. basically 4 out with Griner inside, but they couldn't get the ball to her, so they jacked up 3 pointers. 7-19 FT shooting won't help either. oh, and a terrible full-court press....wow. you can tell that they don't often have to come from behind in basketball games, because they were not prepared for that situation at all. credit to Summit. they had a well executed, aggressive defensive plan. well coached.
I have to wait for the delayed broadcast but from what I hear from folks who were there, the Summit defense played very well like they have most of the playoffs. They are well coached and are quick. Congrats to them. They played a great Irving MacArthur team and held them to 49 with their star getting most of those.
Herein lies the beauty of high school girl's basketball. Unlike college where teams are often loaded with the premier players, such as a UCONN, in high school ball a well coached team that knows how to play defense and has grasp of the fundamentals is rewarded for their hard work. High school girls basketball may be basketball in its purist form.
Having just gotten home from the game, I cannot begin to express my utter disappointment. I am a Nimitz ex- and had high hopes that this game might actually produce the first athletics state championship for the school (we did well in the non-athletic realm in my time there...back in the first few years of the school's existence). Early on, it almost seemed as though Coach Jackson was trying to prove that this year's Cougar squad was more than 'get it to Griner' and it seemed to work, with the early 9-2 lead. I was really ready to start calling for Coach Chickowski to make an appearance (I believe it was his departure that paved the way for Jackson all those years ago- I don't call there being anyone else between those two). Turnovers and missed free throws ultimately doomed the squad. And then towards the end of the game, bonehead plays put the final nails in the coffin. Technical foul for too many on the floor on a free throw and then the inability to foul the person with the ball as Summit was working the clock (I really think HS BB would be improved with a shot clock). Having been able to watch the pregame dunks, I can say that the YouTube videos do not do Griner justice. The Big 12 is going to be interesting over the next four years since she will be on a squad where people can score besides her and schools cannot get away with the triple team like they did much of the game tonight. I just hope I don't have to wait another 30 years to see Nimitz in a championship game in ANY sport. The first game of the night session was interesting to say the least. I had to give Neches credit for fighing back after being shut out in the first period. It was 14-0 after the first 8 minutes. They had a little freshman whose name escapes me (program is still in teh car) but who reminded me alot of Tamra Cobbins. Seemed to be quick and could make a steal out of nowhere...ball handling was a little sloppy, but with the next three years, the girl had signs of potential.
MB, I feel your pain. I just read an article on the game. Griner was 10 for 11 from the floor and the rest of the team was 7 for 26. This game reminded me of the year that the school from Arlington had Shaka Massey (Arkansas) and Lynn Pride (Kansas) on the same team and I sat there during the final and watched the guards from that team take short after shot while ignoring their overwhelming advantage on the block. I felt like there was so many mistakes made on the part of the Nimitz coach staff and found it incredibly frustrating to witness.
