Prairie off to rickety start

[HockSports]

What a rarity, I got to watch both of Prairie's first two games and not looking too sharp so far. They struggled to beat my Hockinson girls who are a decent team, but nothing spectacular. Their defense was great against Camas but they just couldn't score! And had a few slip-ups late to a good Camas team.

Was hoping Prairie would begin to reload with some talented young girls but just a few up from JV. It's sad Prairie doesn't have that continual freshmen circulation that they used to have. Still a pretty well-coached team that can put up a ton of pressure but the offense is what needs a lot of work. They are still very small. Defense will be the advantage if anything this year.

 

[wasports]

Small, understatement. CD is one of the best in the SW.
Perimeter has been cold at times when needed the most against bigger teams.
Team will continue to improve as they have in the past.
More freshman this year than in many years which is a good sign.
Hopefully a few will get the bug and commit to the off season work that has made prior falcon teams successful.
Sucks that the league has been minimized to only 4.
Just another result of the brain trust known as the WIAA.

 

[wasports]

R-I-C-K-E-T-Y start officially over. Pounded CR last week and Kelso tonight.
Firing on all cylinders at the most opportune time.
Look for a strong run through the region followed by a wiaa-make-no-sense first round at state.
Go Falcons!

 

[statewide]

Last night was my first Prairie game of the season. They looked fairly good against a pretty weak team. It does look like they have gotten better since the loss to Mark Morris but still that is not a great sign of good things to come. I would be proud of this team if they just made it to the Tacoma Dome.

 

[HockSports]

First off, glad to see ya back statewide, haven't heard from ya in a bit.

Second... Prairie still isn't a state title team but boy, like WaSports said, they've made a considerable turnaround. They barely fended off Kelso and CR in the first meetings. They then proceeded to pound CR 78-30 and Kelso 62-25. That is a HUGE difference. Of the two poundings, I only watched the CR game. In that game, the difference was clear. Prairie has settled in and improved their defensive pressure on all ends of the floor a great deal. Their offense is blooming quite nicely too. A Top 10 team? Maybe not. But all I can ask for from this team is to keep improving the best they can with the talent available. They have clearly done that, hopefully that continues and they can at least give some Northern teams a challenge come playoff time.

 

[statewide]

Hock

I went to the Bonney Lake game and while the defense was there, the offense had a terrible night. They just could not make an outside shot, missed layups and had a tough night at the free-throw line. What saved them was that they were not playing a powerhouse. Bonney Lake had only one 8 games this year. Prairie connects on a few threes and picks up some confidence, this probably would have been a 40 point win. They are going to need a better shooting performance away from home against Lakes.

 

[wasports]

Speed kills. A team that plays with confidence and the will to win. Nothing holding them down from doing the impossible. Started again tonight shooting horribly but remained confident in their strengths. Motivation is strong from the bench as second year coach Johnson's philosophy fits this program.
Anything is possible from this bunch. They don't get scared. Here they come again Wilson!

 

[HockSports]

Man, Prairie's shot really started to fall in that second half. Also, Lakes was not very deep. Haven't seen Wilson play this year, but it is obvious that Prairie will need a top-notch performance to contend with Wilson. Wilson's top 3 scorers (double-digit averages) are all 5'10 guards. They've got a couple big girls inside but statistically they are nothing to be afraid of. I would guess our best bet is to try to wear them out and hope our shot falls like it did later in the game against Lakes (which is admittedly a much weaker team than Wilson).

All this is just slight internet research, so it's just a guess, but we will see what happens.

Don't think I will make the game, but hopefully the Falcons can at the very least make it a good contest. Go Falcons!

 

[statewide]

remember last year when they won the 3/4 tournament and ended up playing Blanchet instead of the weaker opponent awarded to the team Prairie beat. Sometimes it just works out that way. Just being in the mix with a chance to advance is what counts. Still would love to see them win another 3/4 district championship. Again, just would love to see them in Tacoma. I will certainly be there.

This post was edited on 2/15 9:00 PM by statewide

 

[HockSports]

Well Prairie put up a dang good fight against Wilson but sounds like they cursed themselves with turnovers. Here's to hoping they can pull off 3rd place Saturday afternoon.