Devils Fall To Hart In District Semi-Final

Loss to state ranked Pirates ends successful RD season

Hart 58 Holton 22
A huge turnaround season for a youthful Red Devil team came to an end Wednesday as they faced one of the region's top teams in the Hart Pirates.
 Coach Jordan: 
“They are a very good team. I thought we really battled hard in the first half and was very happy with the way we were fighting. They jumped out on us to a quick 6-0 lead in the first 1 minute or so.  They play at a pace and speed on both ends of the floor that my team has not really seen much of, if any, this year so we were a little tight especially early on. We battled to a 10-15 game, and with about 5 seconds left in the first half it was 15-25 and they hit just under a half-court shot at the buzzer and we went into half down 15-28, and after that it was all them in the second half."
 
“Their  pace wore us out, and they have a deep bench so they just keep coming at you in waves with a ton of energy.  We earned every point we scored tonight, nothing came easy.   my girls competed and that's all you can ask for, we just couldn't keep up with them. "
 
“But as a coach I am super proud of this group and the work and progress we were able to make this year. As a first year Varsity coach at a completely new program for me, you're not really sure what to expect. I met a few of my players this year on day 1 of practice so there was no foundation, carry over  or any sort of relationship with any of my players. To me, relationships with your players is the most important factor in coaching,  so this year was huge for us to have the success we did, build the relationships , get the experience, build some confidence and belief.  To go from 6 wins to 14 in one year is a huge jump, and as a program 14 is more than the previous 3 years combined, so we have gotten on the right path.. all credit to the girls." 
 
 “And we are still so very very young. 4 of my top 5 leading scores are in 10th grade and the other is a junior so I'll get all that back next year.  I will have to replace 3 seniors  (Gianna Reed, Leah Fox, Alanna Cregg) all who played significant roles and made a bunch of plays for us this year.  But as a team we grew so much this year and again very proud of this team, I really enjoyed this great great group of girls."
 
“But for the first time in many years we should come into the next season with some real expectations and lofty goals. We just need to make the most of the off season in order to do that.”