On Tuesday, February 8, the girls JV basketball team took on East Grand Rapids in a heated conference matchup. Unfortunately for the Rangers, much like the first meeting, they could not capitalize on their shots and fell to the Pioneers 34-19. 

While only scoring two points in the entire first half, the team got great looks at the basket. However, the girls couldn’t get their shots to fall. Although FHC lost again to EGR, the defense played in this meeting was far better than earlier in the season. Allowing nine fewer points in the second meeting of the season was one of the bright spots of this game that head coach JaVontae Ford touched on after the game. While the defensive intensity has risen since the first contest of the season back in December, multiple players have been accepting bigger and bigger roles on the team.

“Anna Krampe had a really good game defensively,” coach Ford said. “When she was out on the floor, you could tell she made a huge impact on the game.”

The defensive strength of this team is lethal when paired with a good offensive showcase. When those offensive performances come, the team is very hard to beat. When the offense fails to run plays correctly, it is more challenging for the team to put up points. Setting up plays correctly will let the girls get better shots around the basket. 

The scoring struggles seem to only be a first-half issue, though. Getting off to a slow start is detrimental to a game, so starting a game strong and knocking the other team on their heels is the most important thing to do when the game begins. 

“We need more momentum starting the game,” freshman Addison Reuter said. “We usually have lots going into the second half but not at the beginning.”