STOL-GRASSHOPPERS
DS1 BEGIN STRONG IN THE NEW YEAR
After a weak period
before Christmas, when 6 games in a row were lost, and the unexpected departure
of coach Bo Melis and player Randell van der Lee, STOL-Grasshoppers could use a
boost. A time when a win is welcome for the self-confidence. Fortunately, this
victory took place last Tuesday when competition leader CBV Binnenland
was the opponent.
STOL-Grasshoppers had
already won twice from Binnenland earlier in the
competition. This time, Binnenland played without
their strong American, Launa Hochstetler, who is
recovering from an injury. As they also missed other players due to injuries,
they came to Katwijk with a small team.
On the
STOL-Grasshoppers side, Rick Driessen (coach of the junior team) is temporarily
coaching the DS1. Janine Guyt from that junion team,
made her debut in the ladies First Division and Julia Dijkman is on the bench still
recovering from her injury.
The match begins at
21:00 and quickly goes to 3-3 via 3-pointers by Lisa van den Adel and Rianne
Philippo. After 3 minutes, STOL-Grasshoppers take the lead with a score by
Corine Manuputty and 5 points in a row by Karin
Kuijt. After free throws by Rianne (who plays a strong match), Binnenland takes their first time-out. The visitors come
closer by, but Karin and Rianne, with 2 free throws and a score after a steal,
make the difference. These ladies score 7 and 10 points this period, and
together with Corine take care of the scoring for this quarter. After 10
minutes, STOL-Grasshoppers end the period with a small lead: 19-16.
The second period
begins chaotic, Binnenland comes closer and only
after 2 ½ minutes STOL-Grasshoppers manage to score. The teams are pretty much in
balance, the ladies defend intensely an both sides, which leads to hurried
shot. Corine scores 7 points in the last minutes before halftime to end the
period at 35-31.
When the match
resumes, STOL-Grasshoppers widen their lead to 7 points, but Binnenland brings the difference back to 2 points in no
time. Janine Guyt scores her first points in the First Division after a fast
break. In the last 2 minutes, it’s Ingrid van der Plas and Kelli Valentine
(with an important 3-pointer), who bring Binnenland
in serious problems. This period ends at 53-47.
The fourth period
begins with Karin and Ingrid widening the lead to 12 points, which seems to
break Binnenland. The small selection takes it’s toll (with Jantine Kraak and Natalie van den Andel
also to the bench with injuries). Coach Kodde takes a
time-out for Binnenland, but the Katwijkers
take their lead to 66-51 which the visitors are no longer able to bridge the
gap. Corine Manuputty ends the match with a far-away
3-pointer at 71-61.
Top scorers: Corine
22, Rianne 17, Karin 13, Ingrid 10
Rebounds: Eline 9, Ingrid 7