Lady Cadets start strong

The Norwich women's basketball team started the 2010-11 season strong, but according to the coach the players need to stay focused on each game in order to keep their hot start going.

The Lady Cadets are 12-7 despite losing a lot of depth off of last year's team to graduation. "We lost four starters and we had a lot of making up to do," said Head Coach Zach Maher.

A trio of seniors, Christine Daniels, Kariysa Doyon and Laurel McWilliams, have taken control of the team this season. "Those three have really stepped up and become the leaders of the team," said Maher.

Daniels leads the nation in double double's recorded. Doyon has been the team's leading scorer, averaging 18 ½ points per game to start the season. Maher noted that McWilliams has played well since she rejoined the team after first semester.

Maher credits the positive attitude the team brings every day to practice as the foundation for its success.

"We need to be the hardest working team in the GNAC (Greater North Atlantic Conference) and that all starts at practice. We want to be a better team when the season ends than we were when preseason started," said Maher.

The high-intensity practices excite the Cadets for game day, said the coach. "Practice can become very routine," Maher said. "The girls look forward to game day and that is great. It provides a lift; they get tired of banging each other around at practice so playing against another team is refreshing."

Last year, despite a 20-8 record, the team did not qualify for the NCAA Div. III tournament. According to Maher, that's because they play in a rapidly improving conference. "Every night is a challenge and we like to preach that each game on our schedule is the most important." said Maher.

Maher also stressed the importance of winning GNAC games early in the season. "A slow GNAC start would really make our season more difficult. We are continuing to work hard and are winning games because of it. Our players are rising to the challenge of competing at a high level every day."

The biggest hurdle to get to the NCAA's for the Lady Cadets is Emmanuel College, according to Maher. "They seem to be one step ahead of us, but if we continue to practice and play like we have we can compete with them." said Maher. Emmanuel recently beat Norwich 86-53 in GNAC play but Maher wants his team to focus on the next team on the schedule, and if they meet in the GNAC Tournament Maher knows his team will be ready for them.

"We want to play our best against the best and the best team is the next on our schedule," said Maher.

The Norwich women's basketball team added a win to their record when they played on the road against Lasell on Feb. 3. But they lost a home game on Feb. 5 against St. Joseph's (Maine).