Contrary to common belief, losses are not always a bad thing. On Dec. 14, the loss allowed the Lakeland Hawks (3-4) to improve and prove their determination to give it their all against the Lake City Timberwolves (9-1).
The Hawks put a lot of effort into both offense and defense, but it was nearly impossible to slow down potentially the best team in Idaho. With a final score of 69-36, the Hawks walked away with a second consecutive loss against a 5A powerhouse.
LHS coaches and players believed that they didn’t have enough surprise plays and had no answer for Lake City’s senior duo, Avery Waddington and Sophia Zufelt. Lake City’s Avery Waddington scored 20 points, 10 in the third quarter, and guard Sophia Zufelt scored four three-pointers with a game-high of 23 points.
This did not stop the Hawks from giving their all. Early on, the Hawks became exhausted, and senior leader Lila Kiefer struggled with foul trouble. Regardless of the score, the Hawks had some instances of perfect execution of difficult plays. Their trap defense was in full effect, but the Timberwolves didn’t have issues spreading the ball around and finding open shots. This changed the demeanor of the game and gave hope to players and coaches.
“Well, we were doing our best to run Buzz, and we never really ran it right, so Lake City got a lot of easy points,” said Sophomore Karstyn Kiefer.
Lakeland’s Landree Simon scored 17 points.
Pushing through games when losing can make it challenging to stay motivated.
It was the act of working with Kiefer’s teammates that kept her motivated throughout the whole game.
Having a good group of friends and people surrounding players on a team can make a big difference. Not only do these people build the team up and support confidence in the players, but they also can show the team what you need to work on. Players on the Hawks find motivation in not letting each other down.
Lake City’s teamwork was the headline of the lopsided Timberwolves victory, as they never settled for shots and shot an excellent percentage from three.
Senior Jeremiah Driscoll led the Lakeland student section by standing and cheering even though no other students were. His spirit for the team was unmatched and did not go unnoticed.
Student sections can change the outcome of the game by motivating and inspiring players to do their best. It can be difficult to form a big crowd on school nights, considering students have to be up early the following day. Regardless, the fans still arrived to watch the game and support the girls in their game against Lake City.
The Hawks will host the Pocatello Thunder at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 27.
