Lady Warrior Basketball
McKenzie Eberle shoots for a basket against Arvin on her way to a
team leading 18 point effort. The Lady Warriors defeated the Bears, 54-43.
Photo by Michael Duffy, The Tehachapi News
Posted by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News, on January 27, 2011 Overcoming Adversity
Lady Warriors Face Illness & Injury
Facing the reality of key players suffering from the flu or injury, Tehachapi’s fighting spirit was in full force in basketball action last week.
Tehachapi (9-10; 2-1 SSL) limped through a pair of SSL games, recording a 54-43 victory over Arvin and a close 50-44 loss to title favorite Shafter.
"It was a rough week. We have a lot of girls that are sick and with the injuries it's makes it tough to give it our best on the floor," said head coach Mark Bennett. "But the girls fought hard and they had a pair of gutsy games. They've faced adversity head on."
Senior guard Bre Farinas left the Arvin game with a lower back injury and junior Paige Bennett has been playing through a sprained ankle the entire league season. Also hampered with injury is McKenzie Eberle, who was taken to the hospital last Friday night for a diagnosis on her liver and spleen.
The good news though, all three players are expected to heal and be back in the Lady Warrior lineup in the near future.
"Our girls are tough. They have a fire and they want to play. Our whole team has stepped in and done a great job," added Bennett. "You have to deal with injuries. Down the stretch, I think it makes us stronger."
In the game against Arvin, McKenzie Eberle had a standout performance with 18 points, three assists and two steals, while Amanda Viselli had 12 points, four rebounds and two steals.
Also contributing was Sarah Breen with eight points, six steals and three assists, and Rachel Duff and Danielle Simpson with six points apiece.
Against Shafter, Paige Bennett had 11 points and Rachel Duff had 10 to lead the Lady Warriors attack, while Simpson had five points and Erica Lange, Meghan Kilchrist and Viselli each chipping in with three points.
"If we can get over the injuries we can get back in the race (for a championship)," Bennett said. "When we're healthy, we are a tough team to beat and we're focused on getting there."
Men's Varsity Splits Two Games
Tehachapi had a pair of close games in SSL action, winning a 70-68 contest over Arvin and losing to Shafter in overtime last Friday, 59-55.
Nick Phillips led the way in the victory over Arvin with 20 points, while Cory Lange just missed a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Travis Farewell and Dallas Scaggs also were standouts with 12 and 10 rebounds, respectively.
Kash Knudson had 11 points and six rebounds, while Justin Hedberg had 16 points and nine rebounds to aid in the victory over the Bears.
Against Shafter, Lange finished with 20 points, while Hedberg had 13 points, Scaggs 10 points, Phillips with nine points and Knudson four points.