AAU Girls Basketball at OHHS

This weekend saw the 3-day Oak Harbor Girls Spring Classic Basketball tournament, with 5th through 8th grade teams playing at the high school. The OH Cats AAU organization fielded 3 teams, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, and all played a LOT of basketball during the tourney.

The 7th grade team had an outstanding tournament, losing only once, I believe, in pool play on Friday and Saturday, but had the misfortune of meeting up against their only loss in bracket play on Sunday. In the first meeting, it was a blowout, with the team from Arlington pretty much having their way with our girls. But we learned from that experience. On Sunday the Cats grabbed a small lead and held on to it all the way to halftime, when Arlington tied the score. In the second half, it was a seesaw game until the final period, when Arlington pulled ahead, finally winning by 7. After the game, the Arlington team lined up to shake hands with the Cats, both teams got a standing ovation from both teams' parents, and each OH player received a medal from the coach with the Arlington girls still there, applauding each OH Cat in turn. It was a well-played, hard-fought game, and our girls should be proud of their achievement. I could hear both Arlington coaches praising the play and sportsmanship of our girls. Good job!

Unfortunately, the 6th and 8th grade teams didn't do as well. The 6th grade girls are just inexperienced. With other activities, it's hard to hold a practice and have the entire team present for the entire practice, and that lack of team building showed on the floor.

The 8th grade girls are just a small team in numbers. With only 7 players, they were getting tired after the long weekend, and for the most part, they played against girls who have been together playing basketball since the 2nd or 3rd grade. With more experience together and 1-2 additional players, they will have more success.

What all 3 teams need, though, is some of our high school girls to volunteer their time and help out at practice. Remember when you were in middle school and how you looked up to the high school players? Give back and help teach these girls. The coaches can teach the teams how to play basketball, but it really takes an active player to teach them how basketball is played. Get up off the sofa, log out of myspace, and give 4 hours a week at practice with these middle school girls - the future of Oak Harbor Girls Basketball.