Spring Break
'Winds look to right the ship against winless Centenary
Ladies have yet to win a Summit League game, while Western has lost its last two games
Jon Oakley
Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: Sports
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The Westerwinds (11-13, 9-4 Summit) are rebounding from a 25-point loss against South Dakota State (18-6, 11-2 Summit) last weekend, which dropped them out of first place in the Summit standings.
Following the meltdown against the Jackrabbits, the 'Winds fell further in their downward spiral, dropping their next game at North Dakota State (13-10, 8-2 Summit), 63-42.
The two losses bring Western back to reality after spending almost the entire conference season surprising unsuspecting teams that were given higher preseason rankings. This makes the hapless Centenary team welcomed company, giving Western a chance to get back on track and grab its 10th Summit win.
The Ladies have not won a game on the road since December 2006, and they play a team that has thrived at home and holds a 5-2 record against Summit opponents when playing in Western Hall.
The prospect of winning Saturday's match against the rebounding Western squad seems unlikely for the traveling Centenary team after being dominated in the teams' first meeting, 78-48.
The game was decided by Western's ability to rain down 3-pointers and keep Centenary's offense down while it extended the lead in the second half. After locking down their defensive game plan through halftime, the 'Winds held the Ladies to 29.6 shooting percentage. That stout defense has to be revived against Centenary and driven through the end of the Westerwinds' season.
"We've got to be ready to play and maintain some intensity and some consistency throughout the whole game," coach Leslie Crane said after the win back in January. "That's something that we've got to work on as a team before we get into the conference tournament."
The 'Winds seemed to have solved this problem back in late January, but playing the entire game has to become a focus in these last two weeks before the Summit Tournament.
The last five games could prove if Western is ready to play against the top tier of Summit competition or if last weekend's games portray the real Western women's basketball team.
If the rest of the Westerwinds' season is going to be turned around, it has to start Saturday.
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