Refocusing for the next game

Coming off a big win over a rival team could have some coaches concerned about how his players will respond the next time out.

Consider that the victory ended an 11-game losing streak against said rival and the concern could grow even larger.

But Corvallis High girls basketball coach Joe Williamson says he isn't all that concerned heading into Friday night's crucial Mid-Willamette Conference showdown at West Albany.

Williamson's Spartans are coming off a 55-39 win on the road over crosstown rival Crescent Valley on Tuesday, a victory that kept the Spartans (15-4, 8-1) a game ahead of the West Albany (16-4, 7-2) in the MWC standings.

"I think they are levelheaded and I think they understand they need to go into West Albany ready to play," Williamson said after Tuesday's win. "We’re not getting ahead of ourselves."

A win and the Spartans are that much closer to winning the conference title and earning the right to play one game at home to reach the state tournament at University of Portland's Chiles Center in March.

The players have been able to stay focused on the cliche one-game-at-a-time attitude that Williamson has stressed in his first season at CHS.

"We know that every game is closer to going to state and we just need to play smart and act like every game is a game we need to win and not worry about the opponent, but worry about the game itself," junior Karly Laney said. "We’re ready to play."

Playing smart is what the Spartans have done since losing a heartbreaker at home against Crescent Valley on Jan. 11. CHS blew a six-point lead in the final 30 seconds and lost in overtime. Two long outlet passes led to layups for the Raiders.

Against CV on Tuesday, the Spartans committed just six turnovers, they took four charges, all by Alaina Adams, and converted 19 of 27 free throws to seal the victory.

Not bad for a team that was very athletic but didn't fully understand the game of basketball at the start of the season.

The Spartans were also more a group of players who played as individuals rather than a group of players who played as a team. There wasn't always trust and belief in their teammates.

That has all changed, as has been evidenced by the balanced scoring the Spartans have received lately.

"I think that’s one thing when Joe came in that he pushed home with us," senior Taylor Westly said. "These are your teammates, we play team defense. We play hard, aggressive team defense and because we’re athletes we can go out there and everybody can press as hard as they can and know that whoever will have (our) back."

Nothing showed that point more and the growth the team has had than in the win over CV on Tuesday. Just listen to the players talk.

"Like the first CV game when we played them we didn't get back on helpside and this time we were there and we were on helpside," Laney said. "Last year we played as individuals and this year we play as a team."

"The first time we played (CV), all the mistakes we watched them on film," point guard Gabe Johnson said. "We took our mistakes and fixed them and it worked."

"Joe came out (at practice) and we played (assistant coach Lindsay Schnell) like she was (CV's Janelle) Batista and we came out and he told us exactly what we were going to do, exactly how to do it and what our job was to do to stop that," Westly said.

That has been the biggest difference, listening to and following through on the information they have been given.

The next step in the growth process comes Friday night. And while the Spartans won the first meeting by 22 points at home to start this seven-game winning streak, they will face a West Albany team that has won six straight and should have two players back who didn't play in the first meeting.

No worries, really.

"Actually it helps give us a little edge knowing it’s not quite the same team, but in reality they are two girls we will defend like we would anybody else," Williamson said. "It doesn’t change anything we will do, but it helps them know this is a team we need to be ready to play.

"At this point they know. They have so much to play for they’re not going come in ... If we lose, it will be because West Albany played a great game. We’ll be ready to play."