Lady Cougars struggle with injuries, lack of substitutes
From our weekly issue dated February 03, 2010
Laurissa Tausaga drives toward the goal against a Henley defender. (Photo by Michelle Binker, I V News)
A series of injuries helped to hamper the Illinois Valley High School girls basketball team during a pair of recent losses.
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, the Lady Cougars hosted the Henley High School Hornets at Ken Mann Memorial Gymnasium in Cave Junction.
Despite a strong showing in the first half, the Cougars fell 63-23.
Coach Steve Marsden said that the first half was “some of the better basketball we“ve played all year.“
“We“ve done that in stretches where we play back-to-back really good quarters, but we need to play four quarters,“ Marsden said. “The Henley game, I wasn“t disappointed with, even though we lost.“
Junior Laurissa Tausaga led the Lady Cougars in scoring with 10 points. Kayla Johnson, also a junior, scored 7. Sophomore Carly Jensen scored 4, and sophomore Megan Householder scored 2.
Tausaga“s scores were particularly impressive, given her other duties.
“She always covers the most difficult person on the other team,“ Marsden said. “She has to play their top player, plus score for us. She has to do a lot.“
The Lady Cougars traveled to Hidden Valley High School in Murphy on Friday, Jan. 29, and lost 53-12.
Johnson scored 5 points, Tausaga scored 4 and senior Beckah Kaberline scored 3.
Tausaga was injured during the first quarter and had to sit out the rest of the game.
“That hurt us,“ Marsden said. “We don“t have a lot of offense, and we need Laurissa“s points. When she was hit during the Hidden Valley game, that took a lot out of our offense to not have her out there.“
Up next for the Lady Cougars is a Friday, Feb. 5 home game against Phoenix High School. Marsden said that he expects his squad to match up better against the Pirates than they did in the previous meeting, which resulted in a Cougar loss.
“Turnovers were a big factor in the first game,“ he said. “We couldn“t really handle the press very well.
“It will be tough for us. But we will play better against them the second time around.“
Key to a Lady Cougars victory will be ball control and improved offense, Marsden said. He added that he expects some of his players to be recovered from their injuries prior to that contest.
“We“re not a really deep team, being a small school as we are, and we can“t really afford to have anybody injured,“ Marsden said. “We don“t have that many players, and it definitely has an effect on us.“
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