Lady Jackets dish out Ursuline’s fifth consecutive loss

By Lauren Vargas

The brisk Saturday afternoon of February 21 brought with it a great shooting game from the Lady Jackets (10-19). With a close score of 87-76, it was clear that Cedarville was determined to finish strong, holding an early lead and getting a victory against the Ursuline Arrows.

Within the first 5 minutes of the game, both teams landed several impressive baskets, a telltale sign to the audience that both teams were matched up in their ability to score. Unbeknownst to fans, this matchup would reveal just how much the Jackets’ growth has sharpened their gameplay since the start of the season. 

Regan Hubert led the point charge in the first quarter, landing four 3-pointers in favor of Cedarville during the first ten minutes. Now fully motivated to dominate, the Jackets’ offense pushed to excel, capitalizing on turnovers and successfully possessing most offensive rebounds. 

Although the offense pulled off several strong plays, the first half spelled a bit of a defensive struggle. Coach Addy Miller explained her thoughts about Cedarville’s defensive front. 

“Obviously, the last few games we’ve been playing offense really, really well,” Miller said. “I’m still a defense-minded coach and want that to be the priority… I think we were a little lackadaisical on that side today.”

The Jackets had to pivot several times to prevent the Arrows from gaining more ground on Cedarville’s lead, holding it by eight going into halftime purely on offensive success. 

Ursuline wasn’t finished, though. They quickly picked up speed in the second half, with a 22-point run and gunning for the Jackets’ lead. After several shots off fouls, Ursuline fully caught up to the Jackets, knotting the game. But continuing their shooting and locking down on defense, Cedarville ended the third with some momentum and a three-point lead. 

This season, the third quarter has been the Lady Jackets’ weak point, but on Saturday, Coach Miller reestablished the team’s ongoing theme of growth and getting over the hump of close losses.

“During the ten-game losing streak, we’ve been up in every game,” Miller said. “Whether that was a little or 14, 17, whatever the biggest lead was, we were up a lot, and then we lost it… Are we going to continue to learn to have experience to hold it?” 

That was the big question the fans asked as the game continued to progress.

Determined, the Jackets pushed through Ursuline’s defense, managing to gain more points and pulling through to victory. With 25 points and sinking seven threes, leading scorer Regan Hubert complimented her team’s collaboration and congratulated her teammates’ effort in light of their season difficulties. 

“I’m just really proud of our team,” Hubert said. “We keep talking about growth, we keep talking about how we’ve had a lot of really close losses, and we keep talking about getting over the hump, to get the win, and today really showed that.” 

As the Jackets dish out Ursuline’s fifth consecutive loss, fans turned their gaze towards Cedarville’s next game against Lake Erie, hoping the Jackets will continue to grow on Thursday at home. 

Lauren Vargas is a sophomore biology student with a minor in Spanish and a sports writer for Cedars. She’s an avid weightlifter and loves watching movies in her free time.