Athletics

Game Summaries

Varsity Basketball, Winter 2009–2010

EWS 34 – Stillwater 44

Emma took on Stillwater in their first game of the 2009-10 basketball season. With only three seniors on the team, we looked to gain a lot of experience in this non-league game opener. In the first half, Emma worked very hard defensively to slow down Stillwater’s high scoring offense. We had some nice scoring opportunities but were not able to capitalize on our chances. Emma struggled passing the ball, giving our opponent some easy opportunities to score. At the end of first half, Stillwater was able to stretch their lead, and the first half ended with Stillwater leading 23-10. However, Emma’s young team would not go away quietly into the night. Emma stepped up its defensive intensity in the second half, outscoring our opponent by a tally of 24-21 in the second half. Although Emma would not be able to chase down Stillwater tonight, the effort and spirit demonstrated by this young team early in the season made the coaches very proud of the team. Captains Julia and Jenny had a superb game combining for 15 points, 3 steals, 5 assists, and 12 rebounds. Fatima, in her varsity career debut, had an incredible night, leading all scorers with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Annie worked hard under the basket, pulling down 9 rebounds and getting a steal. Lindsey and Amber played a strong defensive game combining for 2 steals along with an assist. Hattie played very well contributing 4 rebounds, an assist, and a block. Wanda, Louisa, and Natalie hustled hard all night on both ends of the court. Emma next hosts Rensselaer in an afternoon scrimmage before the holiday break.

EWS 32–New Lebanon 19

Emma hosted New Lebanon in our first game back from Thanksgiving break. We suited up only 9 players due to injuries. In the first half Emma worked very hard defensively and shut down New Lebanon’s offense allowing them only 3 points in the entire first half. In the second quarter we were able to get some fast break opportunities that resulted in some easy baskets. The entire team really focused on working together and helping each other on the court. Emma was able to stretch its lead, and the first half ended with us leading with a score of 18-3. Emma continued its defensive intensity in the second half resulting in a cold shooting night for New Lebanon. We committed some turnovers late in the game but were able to maintain our composure and come out with our first win of the season. Captains Annie and Jenny had a good game, combining for 12 points, 6 steals, 5 assists and 13 rebounds. Fatima led all scorers with 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Hattie worked hard under the basket pulling down 7 rebounds while getting 5 blocks. Lindsey and Louise played a strong defensive game in our zone defense. Wanda, Alisha, and Natalie showed marked improvement on both ends of the floor, as they get more comfortable in learning our system. Emma next hosts Berlin tomorrow in another league game.

EWS 33–Berlin 24

Emma played its second game of back-to-back league games, this game with Berlin. We knew it would be tough game because Berlin always plays well against us. In the first quarter Emma worked very hard defensively but was not able to get any breaks on the offensive end of the floor as we missed many shots. Berlin led by a score of 10 to 2 at the end of the quarter. In the second quarter we were able to get some fast break opportunities but could not effectively score any points. At the end of the first half, Emma was still down by 8 points. At halftime the coaches emphasized keeping up the defensive pressure and playing with intensity. In the third quarter Emma came out on fire, as we created many turnovers off our pressure defense. We outscored Berlin 14-2 in the quarter putting us out front for good. The coaches were extremely impressed and pleased with the team’s effort down the stretch as Emma pulled away for the win. Tri-captain Annie had her best game of the season as she scored 9 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and recorded 6 steals in a dominating performance. Fatima led all scorers with 16 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 steals. Alisha, who missed much of pre-season, continues to improve each day as she played a strong game scoring her first varsity basket and grabbing 2 rebounds. Tri-captain Jenny played another overall fine game getting 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Hattie worked hard under the basket pulling down 2 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and adding 2 blocks. Lindsey and Louise played another strong defensive game in our zone defense combining for 4 assists and 4 steals. Wanda and Natalie played very well on both ends of the court as they continue to improve each day. Emma next hosts Hoosick Falls in a non-league match up on Monday.

EWS 33–Hoosick Falls 32

Emma hosted a tough Hoosick Falls squad in an early afternoon non-league game match-up. We started playing Hoosick Falls two years ago and had never beaten them. In the first half Emma came out on fire, playing outstanding defense and scoring on beautiful passes in transition. Emma led 23-11 at the end of the half. The only downside to the first half was that tri-captain Annie had to leave the game after getting ill. At halftime, the coaches reminded the team that Hoosick Falls was very tough and will continue to play every minute of the game, so we needed to continue to play hard. In the second half we were able to get some additional fast break opportunities but could not effectively score any points. Meanwhile, Hoosick Falls mounted a furious rally in the second half of the game, closing the score to within 1 point on a foul shot with 3 minutes left in the game. Emma’s defense, however, was able to hold Hoosick Falls without a score for the remainder of the game, getting our first basketball win ever over Hoosick Falls. Tri-captain Jenny had one of her best games of the season in an awesome overall performance as she scored 6 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and recorded 6 steals. Fatima led all scorers with 21 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 2 assists. We welcomed back tri-captain Julia, who gave us some great defense under the basketball and made several key plays during the game. She finished the game with 3 points and 7 rebounds. Lindsey played an excellent defensive game, shutting down Hoosick’s quick point guard all night. Hattie was also a defensive presence as she blocked 5 shots and pulled down 6 rebounds. Natalie, Amber, Alish,a and Luisa played some strong minutes on both sides of the ball coming off the bench. Wanda had a fine game getting 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Emma next hosts Doane Stuart in a league match-up on Wednesday.

EWS 51–Doane Stuart 28

Emma hosted Doane Stuart in another CHVL match-up. The team was prepared to play a high intensity game, focused on defense and rebounding, with a team known for playing hard every second of the game. Doane Stuart was the first to put points on the scoreboard. Emma fought back with a press and led at the end of the first quarter, 14-11. Fighting a bit of fatigue, Emma dug deep and continued to play strong defense and by the half led 26-15. At halftime, the focus in the locker room was to effectively run our zone offense and to minimize Doane Stuart’s second chance opportunities. Emma began the third quarter rejuvenated, scoring off of 2 steals and never looking back. Tri-captain Jenny had another all-around game leading all scorers with 16 points, while grabbing 7 rebounds and getting 5 steals. Wanda contributed off the bench, scoring a season high 10 points and pulling down 9 rebounds. Lindsey’s confident play at the point guard position resulted in 4 steals and 5 assists.  Tri-captain Julia fought hard down in the post, successfully pulling down 7 rebounds and adding 2 assists. Tri-captain Annie left the game in the first quarter after falling ill, but Hattie was up to the task, contributing 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Alisha and Natalie once again played solid defense, successfully deflecting the ball in our zone and combining for 3 blocks. Amber and Luisa also combined for 4 steals, and 3 rebounds from off the bench. Every Emma player, determined to fulfill our goal of limiting Doane Stuart’s second chance shots, crashed the boards as the team combined for 51 rebounds. Emma’s next match-up is with New Lebanon, after the holiday break.

EWS 30–New Lebanon 17

After a long holiday break, the Emma Varsity basketball came out with a lot of energy and intensity against New Lebanon. Defensive pressure from the start shut down our opponent’s offense and provided Emma with quick transition baskets, leading us to a  22-11 halftime lead. In the second half, Emma was able to keep up the defensive pressure while only having a few mental lapses to put the game out of reach and win our fifth straight game. Tri-captain Annie once again anchored the middle of our defense leading the team with 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, and 10 points. Tri-captains Jenny and Julia, meanwhile, combined for 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 13 points. Fatima distributed the ball well, leading the team with 4 assists, while Hattie played excellent defense on one of the league’s best centers while pulling down 2 rebounds. Lindsey had a solid all-around game dishing out 2 assists and getting a steal. Luisa, Abby, and Amber played well defensively down the stretch. Wanda and Natalie continue to improve each game as they contributed quality minutes throughout the game. Emma next travels to Hawthorne Valley on Wednesday for another league contest.

EWS 32–Hawthorne Valley 21

Emma traveled down to Hawthorne Valley in a league contest. We struggled with consistency throughout the game while Hawthorne Valley played with great intensity. At the end of the first half, Emma led 15–12 and during half-time the coaches stressed picking up our intensity and keeping focused. The end of the third quarter showed Emma up by one point as Hawthorne Valley outscored us 9 to 7 in that period. However, Emma’s defense was able to tighten up, and we did not allow Hawthorne Valley to score a single point in the final quarter securing a hard fought 32–21 win. Tri-Captain Annie once again had an excellent game leading the team with 15 rebounds, 5 steals, and 9 points. Tri-captain Julia was also a force under the boards pulling down 9 rebounds while getting 5 steals and scoring 7 points. Tri-captain Jenny continues to have an impressive varsity season getting a career high 12 rebounds and also contributing 4 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Hattie continues to improve in the paint getting 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Lindsey played another excellent defensive game, completely shutting down Hawthorne’s top guard in the second half and making a key steal in the fourth quarter while adding 2 assists and 4 steals. Emma gets ready to play the Germantown Clippers who are currently ranked 9th in the state for Class D.

EWS 24–Germantown 64

Emma traveled to Germantown to play the clippers who are ranked 9th in the state for Class D. Against a team loaded with seniors, we knew we would have to play a near perfect game in order to keep up with them, but we just couldn’t get anything going all game. Germantown jumped out quickly on us using a full court zone press. Our poor passing led to easy scores for Germantown. The team struggled to score points off our own press but continued to play hard and valiantly throughout the game. It was a tough loss for Emma but one from which we can hopefully learn and improve on as we start to approach the end of the season. Tri-captain Julia played one of her best games of her career, scoring 10 points, while pulling down 5 rebounds and getting 2 steals. Tri-captain Annie had a strong game and grabbed 7 rebounds to go along with 4 steals and 2 assists. Tri-captain Jenny arrived from a school trip for the second half of the game and contributed 3 rebounds and an assist. Amber had her best game of the season scoring 5 points to go along with 2 steals and an assist. Hattie battled hard all night against Germantown’s formidable front court, pulling down 4 rebounds while getting 3 blocks and an assist. Fatima worked hard scoring 5 points, swiping 6 rebounds, and dishing 2 assists. Natalie played a courageous game against the Clipper’s senior guards getting 2 assists and 3 steals. Emma travels to Doane Stuart next Tuesday for a league game.

EWS 44–Doane Stuart 28

Emma traveled to Doane Stuart in a CHVL league game. The Jesters knew they could not take this much-improved team lightly. The first quarter opened with Emma playing with great intensity and focus, jumping out to a 10-6 lead. Emma continued playing well in the second quarter and led by a score of 29-13 at halftime. But Doane Stuart was not going away easily in the second half. They stepped up their intensity and caused us to commit several turnovers, cutting into Emma’s lead at the end of the third quarter. The Jesters' defense tightened in the fourth quarter, and a couple of key fast breaks by the Jesters sealed the win. Tri-captain Annie delivered a huge game, scoring 8 points to go along with 3 steals and 9 rebounds. Tri-captain, Jenny was all over the court, getting 2 steals, 3 assists, and a block. Tri-captain Julia scored 9 points and added 2 steals along with 2 assists. Lindsay and Natalie played a great game in our zone defense combining for 6 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. Abby had a career high 4 rebounds, while Hattie worked hard under the glass pulling down 5 rebounds and handing out 3 assists. Wanda and Amber combined for 3 rebounds. Emma next takes on Heatly in another league match-up.

EWS 27–Heatly 35

Emma hosted Heatly in a CHVL league game. The Jesters knew this would be a tightly contested match-up. The first quarter opened with Emma playing with great intensity and focus, but Heatly still led with a score of 13-10. But Emma was not going away easily that night. We stepped up our defensive intensity and caused Heatly to commit several turnovers, resulting in a four-point lead at the end of the half. The Jesters, however, struggled in the third quarter against Heatly’s pressure defense. At the end of the third quarter, Emma was down three points. Emma was outscored by their opponent by a score of 10-5 in the last quarter as Heatly sealed the win. Tri-captain Jenny had a great game, scoring 4 points to go along with 5 steals, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds. Tri-captain, Annie was all over the court getting a block while hauling down 7 rebounds. Tri-captain Julia scored 7 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Hattie grabbed a career high 11 rebounds to go along with 2 assists and 2 steals. Lindsay and Luisa played a great defensive game combining for 4 rebounds, 2 assist, and a steal. Fatima played a solid game contributing 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist. The Emma next takes on a tough league opponent in Loudonville Christian.

EWS 38–Loudonville Christian 45

In the first game with Loudonville Christian this season Emma lost a tough physical game at their gym. In the first half Emma built leads as large as six points only to see the leads whittled back down by a persistent Eagles squad. Emma struggled in covering the perimeter on defense giving our opponent some open shot opportunities to score. The Jesters led by two points at half time but lost the lead in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw Loudonville Christian outscore us 13 to 10 to give them a come-from-behind victory. After playing a very intense physical game, Emma just did not have enough energy to overcome their fatigue in the fourth quarter. Tri-captains Annie and Jenny had superb games combining for 20 points, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 19 rebounds. Tri-captain Julie and Hattie played a strong game along the front line combining for 6 points, 1 steal, 4 assists, and 9 rebounds. Natalie continues to improve every game, getting 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal while her backcourt mates, Luisa and Alisha, combined for 3 rebounds. Amber had a fine all-around game dishing out 2 assists while pulling 2 rebounds and getting a steal.

EWS 31–Berlin 30

In the second game of the week Emma won a tough game with our old nemesis, Berlin. In the first half Berlin built leads as large as six points only to see the leads whittled back down by a persistent Jester squad. Emma lost focus at times on defense giving our opponent some easy opportunities to score. Emma was down by a point at half time and was down two points going into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter saw Emma make a gallant effort as its defensive pressure resulted in key steals giving us some great scoring opportunities. Emma pulled ahead by one point on a basket by Jenny with 50 seconds left on the clock. A last second shot by Berlin just missed as time expired. The coaches were extremely proud of the team’s courageous effort in the second half of the game. Tri-captains Annie and Jenny had superb games, scoring 11 and 7 points, respectively. In addition, Jenny had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, while Annie collected a game high 10 rebounds. Tri-captain Julia worked hard under the basket pulling down 4 rebounds and handing out 2 assists. Fatima played a strong defensive game while scoring 8 points and handing out 2 assists, while Lindsay and Natalie hustled hard all night on both ends of the court. Hattie had another great game getting 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 rebounds. Emma next hosts Waterford for another league match up on Thursday.

EWS 29–Waterford 57

Emma resumed league play with Waterford, the second leading team in the league. It was a see-saw battle in the first half as Emma jumped out to a 13-11 first quarter lead. Emma showed gritty teamwork as we fought to maintain our intensity and focus. Waterford increased their intensity in the second quarter, connecting on some long-range shots and shutting down Emma's offense, while taking a 24-17 half-time lead. In the third quarter things began to look bleak for the Jesters as Waterford extended their lead by nineteen points. Emma began to apply more defensive pressure and valiantly fought back but could not close the gap against a very good Waterford team. It was a great team effort, and we look forward to our second meeting with them later in the season. Tri-captain Jenny had an all-around fine game which included 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Tri-captain Annie played strong under the boards, pulling down 8 rebounds while Hattie added 2 blocks and 6 rebounds. Tri-captain Julia played a fine game also, getting 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Alisha, Natalie, and Abby continued to show marked improvement as they combined for 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Amber did a great job rebounding from her guard position, getting 5 rebounds. There will be little rest for the weary as Emma travels on Tuesday to take on Berlin in another league game.

EWS 40–Hawthorne Valley 18

Emma hosted Hawthorne Valley in a CHVL league game on Thursday afternoon. The Jesters knew their opponent would come in with a lot of confidence after playing Emma tough in an earlier season match-up. The first quarter opened with Emma playing with great intensity and focus jumping out to a 10-2 lead. In the second quarter, Emma stepped up their full court pressure and caused Hawthorne Valley to commit several turnovers, increasing Emma’s lead by 18 points at the end of the half. Hawthorne Valley in the third quarter fought back, outscoring Emma 12-7. Emma’s press began to wear down the smaller Hawthorne Valley squad. The Jesters were all over the court getting steals and rebounds while converting turnovers into fast break points. Emma outscored their opponent by a score of 13-4 in the last quarter to seal the win. Tri-captain Julia delivered a huge game scoring 10 points to go along with 2 steals, 2 assists, and 10 rebounds. Tri-captain Jenny was all over the court, getting 5 steals, while hauling down 4 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. Tri-captain Annie scored 3 points and pulled down 4 rebounds. Luisa and Lindsay played great defense on Hawthorne’s star player, limiting her to just 2 baskets. Fatima played a solid game in our pressure defense getting 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals while scoring 5 points. Hattie and Natalie combined for 10 rebounds, while Abby and Amber played great defense combining for 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Wanda and Alisha worked hard on the floor combining for 3 rebounds. Emma next takes on a tough league opponent in Heatly.

EWS 12–Heatly 53

Emma traveled to Heatly to play the Hornets, who are currently third in the league standings. The Jesters knew we would have to limit our perimeter baskets and handle full court press well to be successful in the game. Unfortunately, it was one of those nights were we could not accomplish our goals. Heatly jumped out quickly on Emma using a full court zone press. Our poor passing against their press led to easy scores for Heatly. The Jesters had a few opportunities in the first quarter, but we missed easy baskets. We struggled to score points but continued to play hard throughout the game. Tri-captain Julia played another courageous game pulling down 5 rebounds and getting 2 steals. Tri-captain Annie worked hard under the boards pulling down 7 rebounds and getting 2 steals. Tri-captain Jenny grabbed 3 rebounds while handing out 2 assists. Amber and Fatima combined for 4 rebounds, while Wanda and Hattie played hard combining for 8 rebounds. Natalie and Lindsay played a fine defensive game.  Emma next travels to Loudonville Christian for a league game.

EWS 39–Loudonville Christian 33

After suffering a hard league loss to Heatly on Friday night, Emma continued league play with Loudonville Christian. The Eagles are having their best season in recent years and came into the game confident after winning on our home floor earlier in the season.  It was a seesaw battle in the first half as Loudonville Christian jumped out to a 12-6 first quarter lead. Emma showed gritty teamwork as we fought to keep the game close. The Eagles increased their intensity in the second quarter connecting on some long-range shots and shutting down Emma's offense while taking a 18-15 half-time lead. In the third quarter things began to look bleak for the Jesters as Loudonville extended their lead by six points. However, midway through the third quarter Emma began to apply more defensive pressure and valiantly fought back to close the quarter to within three points. In an incredible fourth quarter, Emma continued its relentless defensive pressure and went on a 13-4 run for a great come-from-behind victory. It was an amazing team effort and may just have been our best game of the season. Tri-captain Jenny had an all-around fine game that included 7 steals and 6 rebounds. Lindsay and Sarah hounded Loudonville’s high scoring point guard all night with relentless defense while combining for 5 assists and 5 steals. Tri-captain Julia was our defensive spark pulling down 11 rebounds to keep us in the game. Tri-captain Annie had 6 rebounds along with 3 assists and 3 blocks. Hattie and Amber combined for 10 rebounds and 8 points. Emma also got great contributions from Luisa and Natalie, who played some key minutes down the stretch. There will be little rest for the weary as Emma hosts Waterford in another league game.

EWS 35–Waterford 67

Emma took on Waterford in a league game. We played with a lot of heart as we met this tough opponent. Emma tried to keep it close in the first quarter getting big plays from Jenny and Annie. The action was fast paced and both teams pressured each other at every opportunity. In the second quarter Emma cut into their lead but Waterford had a answer every time. The Jesters played with a great deal of intensity but was  not able to convert several easy fast break opportunities. At half time the coaches got the team refocused on what Emma needed to do in the second half, and the Jesters came out on fire getting some steals and making some easy baskets. However, the combination of Waterford’s quick guard and strong outside shooting allowed them to eventually pull away from us and win the game. It was a great game for Emma even in the loss to play so well for much of the game against a very good team in Waterford. Tri-captain Annie had a fine game leading the charge with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Fatima also had a game high 5 assists while tri-captain Jenny dished out 2 assists to go along with 3 steals. Hattie had 4 points and 6 rebounds while Natalie added 3 points and a rebound. Lindsay and Luisa played excellent defense at the top of our defensive press. It was quite a battle down low as our post players worked hard to control the glass. Wanda and Pei Pei combined for 5 rebounds while working hard on defense.  Emma next hosts Germantown in our last game of the regular season.

EWS 25–Germantown 48

At home in front of a good crowd, Emma played its final game of the season with league champion Germantown. It was the last regular season home game for tri-captains Jenny, Annie, and Julia, who have had stellar careers with Emma basketball. They will surely be missed! We battled this squad very hard all game long. In the first quarter, both teams pressed each other relentlessly resulting in many fast break opportunities, however, Emma found itself down in the first quarter by six points but continued to keep up their intensity and hustle. Unfortunately, too many turnovers and missed open shots kept us from catching up with our opponent. The second half saw our defense begin to shut down Germantown’s tough offense, and Emma was able to close the gap exhibiting continued intensity and teamwork. However, Germantown was able to step up their defensive pressure and put the game out of reach. Tri-captain Julia had a fine game scoring 4 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Tri-captain Jenny had a fine all-around game connecting for 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals. Tri- captain Annie had 4steals and 5 rebounds. Hattie hauled down 5 rebounds, while Fatima contributed with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 points. Lindsay and Amber played a strong defensive game while also combining for 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Natalie and Luisa hustled hard all night.  Overall, the coaches were very proud of the way the team came out and competed with an excellent team. Sectionals start next week so Emma will now have a week to get ready for the first round.

EWS 23–­Schalmont 54

Emma hosted Schalmont in a first round Sectional game. The Jesters played hard all game long against a tough foe from the colonial council. In the first half, Emma kept the score close, playing good defense especially in the second quarter. However, the Jesters inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities eventually allowed the Sabres to pull away with the victory. Tri-captains Julia, Annie, and Jenny played in their final game for Emma. We wish them the best next year in college. Fatima and Natalie showed great intensity and made some great plays during the game. Lindsay played a tough defensive game while Hattie worked hard in the paint leading the team in rebounds. With many players returning next year, we hope to have another successful season.