The Grade 8 girls' basketball team roared out of the gate in the North Shore Championship game against Argyle, but the Pipers' swarming defence proved to be too much for them in the second half as they fell 38-31.
Argyle had easily beaten Collingwood in an exhibition game earlier in year and the fact that the top Argyle player had been absent did not bode well for a victory for the home team. However, in the first half, the Cavs were by far the dominant team. Argyle started the game trying to constantly pressure the ball and although they were often sending two or three players to help with this task, Sara Fraser carved them up with an amazing display of dribbling and tenacity. Sara's 14 points in the first half were key to a Cavs' 23-15 lead at the break.
Equally impressive was the team's work at the defensive end. Rachel Chete was assigned the role of stopping the Argyle super-star and she did a terrific job of keeping her away from the basket. Meanwhile, Stella Guernsey and Heather Royle were mopping up on the defensive boards to limit the Pipers to one shot on their possessions.
A second half adjustment by the Argyle coaching staff was to be the undoing of the Cavs. The Pipers fell back into a very tight half-court defence. This basically took away the space that Sara had enjoyed in the first half. While the Argyle offence started to heat up, the Cavs went ice-cold. With their shots not falling, Collingwood soon lost the lead they had worked so hard to build.
In the end, the Cavs only managed 8 second-half points. Despite the loss, Coach Lee could find some positives in the squad's excellent team defence and that they were often the dominant rebounding team at both ends of the court. If the Cavs can take these offensive rebounds and turn them into easy put-back baskets, they will have a good chance of beating Argyle if they meet again in the Vancouver and District Championships.
Sara Fraser scored 16 points and an absolute powerhouse at both ends of the court.
Stella Guernsey was a rebounding machine against Argyle.
Liz Mathisen had a terrific game. Her dribbling skills helped take the pressure off Sara and she also used her height to secure lots of rebounds.