Solid defense and rebounding abilities will make a team competitive. That's been the focus for the girls basketball team at Cranston West to start the season.
Marty Crowley, Falcons head coach, has been pleased with the efforts early on. "They have been working very hard," he said, "We are getting much better at defense and rebounding."
The team has experience with six seniors on the roster. They also have speed and athleticism. Not only can they rebound well, they can run.
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"We have speed and we want to get out in the open court and run," the coach said.
On defense, the coach said he favors man-to-man, but has been teaching them basic fundamental skills so they can play any type of defense. When it's needed, he feels confident they can play zone or press.
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The coach has been pleased with the early season results but feels there is room for improvement.
"I'm happy [with] where we are now," he said, "but we need to get better."
Jessica Ricci has been a solid performer off the bench for the Falcons, the coach said. The players that are returning do not have a lot of varsity experience according to the coach.
"We are still a work in progress," he said, "I'm trying to teach them how to play at game speed."
The Falcons play host to Westerly on Monday night and play Chariho on Thursday night, looking to improve on their 2-0 record (1-0 in league play).
