The future looks bright for the Lady Shamrocks program

After hearing rumors for the past few years about the work ethic and talent of the young ladies at St. Patrick’s, I decided to attend a 7th grade basketball game at PW high school on Saturday December 1st. This group of players from tiny Portland St. Patrick’s plays against the very highest-level competition from around Mid-Michigan, and regularly beats far larger schools. I was not disappointed, as the top-ranked 4-0 Shamrocks had a fierce battle with the second place 3-1 PW Pirates. In the end, the Shamrocks were just too much for the home team, and the final score was 30-24 St. Patrick’s.

In the 1st quarter, the Shamrocks jumped out to a 7-4 lead, with Rylee Scheurer leading them with a 3 pointer, Izzy Kissane and Alaina Forist both also chipped in 2.

In the 2nd quarter, the Shamrocks again held off the tough Pirates, winning the quarter 9-8. Therese Mackowiak lead the way with 4 points and the Shamrocks took a 16-12 lead into halftime.

The 3rd quarter was much of the same, with stifling defense from both teams. 4 different players scored for the Shamrocks, with Therese Mackowiak again leading with 4 points. St. Patrick’s was again able to hold off the Pirates, and won the quarter with a 10-6 advantage, taking a 26-18 advantage into the 4th quarter.

The Pirates were not done yet, and ended up outscoring the Shamrocks in the 4th quarter 6-4. St. Patrick’s relied on their exceptional ball handling skills, and played very patient basketball the entire quarter, holding on for the win.

Therese Mackowiak lead all scorers, putting in 12 points. Rylee Scheurer and Tori Sandborn both had 5 points. Alaina Forist, Izzy Kissane, Arianna Fox-Elster and Kyra Kinsman all had 2 points as well.

Coach Karen Scheurer wanted to emphasize the importance of team in her interview, “Who scores the points doesn’t matter, what matters is that all the players on this team work together, and play excellent team defense, and look to make each other better on offense.”

The Shamrocks play in the Red Cedar Gold Division. For more information, please visit their website at http://redcedarhoops.com/RedCedar_7th_girls_gold_standings.htm