Lady Knights make strides and learn from losses

Ellington's junior point guard Karlee Alves launches a shot late in the game vs. Holyoke (Mass.) on Jan. 24. Photos by Steve Smith.

The Ellington High School girls' varsity basketball team fell to 9-5 after a loss to Holyoke, Mass. (coincidentally also known as the Purple Knights) on Jan. 24. Coach Lauren Beeler said after the game that her team fell into too big of a hole in the first half, but was able to play their counterpart Knights evenly in the second, and what that shows is that Ellington needs to find more consistency.

“I think we have some really good moments,” Beeler said, “but we also have some iffy moments. We just need to be more consistent in our defense, our scoring, and to share the ball better.”

Junior point guard Karlee Alves is leading the team (29 of the Knights' 56 points vs. Holyoke) but Beeler said shooting is something that needs to improve across the board, as well as getting the other four to complement Alves. “We're trying to work on that, and trying to work on more of an inside game,” she said, “like when they are playing zones against us, then we back off again so that we can have more open looks. We need to get more support for Karlee, which we do most of the time, but working on sharing the ball will help that.”

Beeler said senior Brittany Lemire has stepped things up defensively, with steals and rebounds. Senior Jessica Malone and junior Devonney Waters have also been making strides, especially on defense, and expect to make more between now and the end-of-season tournaments.

With only a handful of games left on the schedule, Beeler said the match with Avon on Feb. 6 will be the best litmus test of the team's tourney readiness. Ellington lost to Avon on Jan. 18, but hopes to go into the opposing court and upset. “We did lose to them, but it was a close game,” she said. “We haven't won on Avon's court in years, so it will be a big test for us. We're making strides.”

Ellington will travel to Enfield on Jan. 29 and then host East Granby on Feb. 1.

For a complete schedule, visit www.casciac.org.