Delcastle Delivers Devastation - Beating Padua 44 - 30

Pandas Perplex Pundits

(...or I wasn't Going to Write About This Game, But...)

January 31, 2008

by Jim Charles

When we last saw Delcastle - in an early season loss at St. Mark's - they didn't look all that impressive.  To their great credit, they are now something like 13 - 3 on the season.  ...And, they are impressive.  At Padua Academy on Wednesday, January 30th, they came back from the short end of an 8 - 4 deficit in the first quarter to pretty much dominate the Pandas over the last three frames.  Delcastle dictated the pace.  Padua played in "react mode" for the rest of the contest.

Part of the Lady Cougars' success was due to their aggressive, focused defense.  And offensively, Delcastle is far better than where they were in December.  The players are working hard and seeing results.  When a team like Delcastle gets into the News Journal's Top Five, as they have been doing of late - and deservedly so - it's only good for the sport.  Girls ball in the state needs new faces at the top.

In terms of individual efforts, Bianca Parker was all over the place with 16 points.  Not far behind was Karena Puckham with 11 and Jaquetta May chipping in 8, including a real nice 6-for-6 performance from the stripe.

On the Padua side of the ledger, many followers believed that this was a game that was not only winnable, but that should not have been lost under any circumstances - taking nothing away from the Cougars.  I would have to count myself among these disappointed folks.  In November, I had high hopes for the team.  On paper, every indicator pointed toward a springtime appointment at The Bob.  But, as the season developed, Padua dropped down into the ranks of the also rans.  The players, girl for girl, have the talent necessary to compete at the highest level.  Yet, there's a lack of focus and discipline.  The players bear part of this responsibility, but some of the problem has a different source.  There seems to be a misunderstanding of the roster and a deficiency in knowledge of individual players' strengths and weaknesses.  The result?  A Padua 'engine' that is not firing on all cylinders.  ...And I say all of this as a bona fide fan and friend of the program going on a dozen years or so.  I support the current coaching staff.  They're nice people!  I want this team to do well.  I'm sure everyone associated with the program does, too.

Delcastle, you guys are awesome!  You richly deserve praise and recognition.  I hope you get lots of both in the coming weeks.

Padua, there's still time to get this thing on track and salvage the season.  The Pandas have a history for finishing out seasons strong.  (You could look it up!)

Jim Charles