Union Warriors 71, Dana Vikings 77

In another rematch of an earlier season meeting the Union Warriors fell to the Dana Vikings, but managed to keep the game much closer than their 30 point defeat earlier in the year. The most impressive part about this game was that Union managed to keep the game close while playing most of the first half without their leading scorer Travis Kierstead, who was pulled after being involved in several turnovers in the opening minutes. In his absence Nick Sharon received a large increase in minutes and although he definitely isn’t the scorer that Travis is he played very well in extended action. Drew Johnson had a bit of a rough night, mainly because of foul trouble, and was unable to become much of a factor throughout the game. Aaron Thomas also struggled, securing the ball all night, probably a result of him being uncomfortable with his heavily taped wrist. Chase Tikker, Jason Salt, and Daniel Force provided much of the offense in the first half but in the end it just wasn’t enough.

Rant: Traveling/ carrying calls. There were at least 20 of these violations called on the two teams combined, maybe in the first half alone.

Rave: I have been a bit critical of Travis Kierstead’s play this season, mainly because he seems unable to pass or refrain from calling for the ball when it’s not in his hands, but in the second half of this game, he shot extremely well, and better still he refrained from forcing his shot. He single handedly kept the Warriors in the game in the second half.

Rant: I think this may be a bit nit picky and if the Warriors would have won maybe I don’t mention it, but since they didn’t I will. During half time of the girls game the guys team goes out and warms up, as a team. Except Thursday night it was the team at one end and Travis and Daniel at the other. Where is the leadership from the team captains? Ahh, I’m probably just knit picking.

Rave: Chase Tikker has one of the ugliest shots I’ve ever seen, he isn’t the fast on the court, the smartest or the most physical, but he hustles whenever he is on the court, and that shot as ugly as it is, is starting to fall with a bit more consistency.

Union Lady Warriors 75, Kaplan University 70

It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong, and to quote Michael Scott, “I am that big man.” Throughout the season I have been a bit critical of the Lady Warriors set offense. So critical in fact, that in response to his offenses resurgence Thursday night Coach Steiner actually, at one point, looked up to where I was seated in the crowd and yelled “what do you think of my offense NOW!” Okay I made that up. Anyway, against Kaplan University, a rematch of the Lady Warriors first game of the year, the Lady Warrior set offense showed signs of dramatic improvement. However, even with the Lady Warriors offense running at peak efficiency in the first half their lead at intermission was only nine points. And after a slow start to the second it looked as if the Lady Warriors would again give up the game in the second half. Kaplan had adjusted its defensive sets and Beth-Anne, who was shooting lights out in the first, was no longer getting open looks around the perimeter. However, after scoring only four points in the opening seven minutes of the second half, Union’s offense erupted for 32 points in the remaining 13 minutes to close out a 75-70 victory over a feisty Kaplan University.

Rant: I admit the offense worked better, but I still don’t like Laura handling the ball out in the corner. She isn’t really a threat to score from there, and although she handles the ball effectively it isn’t one of her strong points.

Rave: Staci Davenport. I have talked about her needing to step up and be more aggressive all year. She showed great poise Thursday by sticking with her shot after missing a few attempts early. She scored six straight points for the Lady Warriors at a critical point late in the second half, the final basket coming on a sick jump hook in the lane after an aggressive pass from Stephanie Krueger.

Rant: Number three for Kaplan was ridiculous. I didn’t catch her name, but she I’ll call her “The Answer” because she shares the same number as another undersized basketball player that goes by that moniker and plays for the Nuggets. Although undersized and a bit erratic with her shot, she always seemed to come up with a big play to keep Kaplan close, whether it was hitting an open three, or locking down on Beth-Anne on the perimeter she got it done. For the rant part though, might want to think about guarding her a bit closer if these teams meet again, and you might want to box her out, and you might want to watch for her jumping into passing lanes when playing defense. Basically know where she is at all times.

Rave: Julia Short, Beth-Anne Laspe, and Sarah Marais were a combined 15-24 from beyond the 3-pt arc, and one of those misses was an end of the half heave by Beth-Anne. That’s disgusting. The three had 19, 24, and 10 points respectively

Lady Warriors Mid-Season Report

Julia Short: Strengths – Could probably start for the guy’s team. Offensively she is ridiculous, but her tenacity on defense is remarkable. What tops both of those, the fact that she still plays within the team concept.
Weaknesses – Uh, I haven’t seen her dunk yet this year, so, yeah how about one of those.
Beth-Anne Laspe: Strengths – Her outside shot, when falling, is a sight to behold. However, she can also get inside, and she plays very well with others. Best of all when her shot isn’t falling she isn’t afraid to pass.
Weaknesses – Has been a bit inconsistent and it has hurt the team. When her shot isn’t falling she starts thinking too much. She must shake off her mistakes instead of letting them get inside her head.
Laura Woollen: Strengths – Unmatched underneath. Keeps offensive possessions alive with tough physical play and her offensive game is just getting started. You could call her the female version of Aaron Thomas.
Weaknesses – Doesn’t get enough touches on the offensive end. She must be more aggressive when posting up against smaller players.
Shawndra Brass: Strengths – She’s physical, talks on defense and is always scrambling to keep possessions alive.
Weaknesses – She must work on her shot. On offense she doesn’t seem comfortable shooting the ball.
Sarah Marais: Strengths – Super duper quick. She can get into the paint seemingly at will.
Weaknesses – Can use her quickness to get open 15 ft jump shots whenever she wants. Now she just has to knock them down.
Mariah Belveal-Thompson: Strengths – On a team that sometimes struggles to get shots off Mariah is not shy about looking for her own shot, and she seems to hit a high percentage from beyond the arc.
Weaknesses – Too often she doesn’t appear to be in the game mentally, and it leads to inconsistent play and poor choices.
Staci Davenport: Strengths – Beth-Anne is this teams best shooter, Staci is second and with more shot attempts she could become a special scorer.
Weaknesses – She is too passive with the basketball. Instead of looking to shoot she is constantly trying to pass. Also, she is on the small side so she needs a bit more room to get her shot off.
Lisa Kemper: Strengths – An absolute hustle machine. No matter what the score or how much time is left in the game Kemper will go full tilt buzzer to buzzer. She went to the ground after loose balls three times in the second half of a game when the Warriors were down by 20 points. A real model for the younger players on the team.
Weaknesses – Like Shawndra, Lisa rarely shoots, and sometimes seems uncomfortable putting the ball up. Also, bigger players can give her problems on the boards.
Stephanie Krueger: Strengths – A high energy player, can score and rebound extremely well off the bench.
Weaknesses – Makes to many mental errors for a senior. Often she cancels out a great play by creating a foolish turnover, must remain under control.
Savannah McDonald: Strengths – She is a strong presence underneath that keeps possessions alive. Can effectively clog up the middle on defense.
Weaknesses – She doesn’t appear to have a complete grasp on the game yet, seems too timid at times. However, both should improve with more experience.
Lauren Dickerson: Strengths – Speedy player who comes to play on defense and can push the ball on offense.
Weaknesses – Isn’t a threat really on offense. Like other members of the team she appears uncomfortable shooting the ball and at times is too timid when running the offense. Again experience with help.
Coach Steiner: Strengths – Shows a willingness to play everyone regardless the game situation. He does a good job of making adjustments and creating plays for his team to run.
Weaknesses – At times it seems he has his starters on too short of a leash, and as a result they sometimes seem to play tight. Also it seems like he allows the other team to act and then he reacts. It would be nice to see the Warriors throw the first figurative “punch.”

Warrior Men's Mid-Season Report

The first half of Warriors basketball is now in the books, so now I will give you my opinions on what each player did well during the first half, and what they could use some work on. Now in order to include every member of each team I will be forced to be brief in my analysis of each player. However, if you disagree with my assessment, or perhaps you simply would like a more in depth explanation feel free to contact me and we can chat.
Aaron Thomas: Strengths – The last person to dominate the offensive and defensive glass like Aaron was nicknamed “The Worm” and had an obsession with hair dye and wedding dresses.
Weaknesses – Stop bouncing the ball off the backboard on offensive rebounds to pad your stats, who do you think you are Moses Malone? I’m kidding, but you probably should have eating more vegetables growing up. If you were 6’5 you probably could have gone pro. Or at least to Europe.
Chase Tikker: Strengths – He gives 100 percent every time he steps on the floor.
Weaknesses – Sometimes 100 percent isn’t good enough. I’m kidding, but his game has slipped a bit, and his shot looks terrible.
Drew Johnson: Strengths – Going into this year I was skeptical of Mr. Johnson, however, his play has steadily improved throughout the year. He is shooting better, driving more effectively, and his no look passes are AWESOME.
Weaknesses – He is still too inconsistent at times. Must avoid disappearing for long stretches, of course a lot of times that is because he is on the bench. It’s hard to make an impact from there.
Jason Salt: Strengths – When his shot is falling he is unstoppable.
Weaknesses – When his shot isn’t falling he needs to stop shooting. Or at least get inside.
Travis Kierstead: Strengths – Travis is shooting the ball lights out from anywhere on the floor, and also possesses the ability to get to the rim at will.
Weaknesses – Must do a better job including his teammates. To often when he is on the court it’s a one man show. Is it his fault for not passing, or are his teammates just standing around? I don’t know but it has to change.
Alex Cabrera: Strengths – He is a solid defender that forces the offense to play cautious whenever he is around the ball.
Weaknesses – At times he can get a little careless and fast paced. He must be more disciplined on the offensive end.
Brock Reichert: Strengths – He gets into the game and bangs. He is able to physically dominate smaller players.
Weaknesses – He probably averages a foul per minute or close to it. He must show some restraint, and for the record the palms to the sky “I didn’t do it” hand gestures are actually more incriminating then the actual act of fouling.
Daniel Force: Strengths – He has shown the ability to score inside which is good because his outside shot isn’t falling just yet. Also, he is doing a better job getting physical inside on the defensive end.
Weaknesses – He must shoot with more consistency. Also has trouble guarding quicker players along the perimeter.
David Garcia: Strengths – Seems to try and get his teammates involved in the offense.
Weaknesses – He sometimes appears to be a little hesitant on the offensive end, when deciding whether to pass or shoot. Just play a little bit looser and to quote The Killers “Everything will be alright.”
David Tejeda: Strengths – He plays the game at break neck speeds. Obviously speed doesn’t kill or Mr. Tejeda would be dead already.
Weaknesses – Just because you can run faster than a speeding bullet does not mean your teammates can as well. Try to keep it in third gear if for no other reason than to keep from embarrassing your teammates.
Ian Handke: Strengths – With his size and willingness to play underneath he is an astute shot blocker and is still able to affect some shots he can’t get too.
Weaknesses – He must become more aggressive on the offensive end. Too often he is content to slide behind defenders rather than trying to post-up.
Nick Sharon: Strengths – When he’s in the game he hustles, hustles, hustles, and when he’s on the bench he’s the team’s biggest cheerleader.
Weaknesses – If you want to be a cheerleader you’ve got to dress the part son.
Shawn Perry: Strengths – Like several members of this team he can shoot lights out from outside, and also is solid on the defensive glass.
Weaknesses – Struggles sometimes with quicker players, just keep moving your feet… unless you’re trying to take a charge.
Coach Dodds: Strengths – He has shown a willingness to go to his bench early and often throughout the year, which will pay huge dividends down the road.
Weaknesses – So far I have yet to see a called play on offense, which has resulted in the Warriors getting blown out whenever they get matched up with a more athletic team and can’t win their one on one match ups. Also other than a few bench players this team seems to lack any sort of fire or for that matter chemistry on and off the court. Maybe its time to bring back team showers, or Saturday night slumber parties.