Cougars’ defense solid but offensive struggles lead to loss
Haylee Peterson’s defense is feisty. It’s in your face and can get down right annoying if you have to deal with it.
“Haylee is one of those players, she will smile at you all day but she loves to get under your skin,” CHS girls basketball coach Heather Stewart said. “That’s my kind of kid. She will never give up on a play.”
As a whole, the Cougars’ defense disrupted passing lanes, interrupted shots and controlled matters under the boards.
However, a 20-percent shooting effort on the offensive side of the ball halted the Cougars in a 36-26 loss to visiting Pajaro Valley in a Monterey Bay League game Tuesday night.
“We played with a little more intensity on defense tonight and we made it a point to block out,” Stewart said. “Our problem was that we shot 11-for-56 and that’s a mental thing.”
The Cougars had five players with at least four rebounds, including Hanna Tabron’s 10, Ashanti Clayton’s nine, and Kaitlyn Ramirez’s six.
The strong team defense kept the Cougars within one at 8-7 after the first quarter and 19-13 at the half. And as the third quarter commenced, the Cougars switched to a full-court press, which had an effect on the Grizzlies and created valuable opportunities to cut a fluctuating deficit, which was just seven by the end of the third.
However, the Cougars managed a mere three points in the final period as the Grizzlies opened up the 10-point lead with 4:27 to play. Both teams went scoreless the remainder of the game.
“Right now they have to show me that they have a passion and desire to win,” Stewart said. “We have to be on the same page.”
Tabron posted a team-high 13 points, Merrett Brown had five and five others made it into the stat book with at least one point.
With three games remaining, Stewart said this is the junction of the year where an identity needs to start to form that will carry over to next season.
“At this point, due to the fact that we are not playoff bound, the goal is to get everybody on the court and get some experience. I want to see progress,” Stewart said. “Our program goal is to win. It’s a building process. We have to develop a bit of an attitude and stop being so nice.”
With the way Peterson played defense and the feathers she ruffled, it appears the Cougars are on the right track.
CHS plays two of its last three contests at home, starting with Monterey at home Monday. The Cougars then hit the road one final time against Monte Vista Christian before wrapping up the season in a matchup with Watsonville on Feb. 15 in Gilroy.
