Blue Bison working to take next step
Saturday, December 11, 2010 Sparks News Player Information
Class AA runner-up finish has Shaker wanting more
By JAMES ALLEN Staff Writer
Published: 12:53 a.m., Saturday, December 11, 2010
LATHAM -- The transformation from also-ran to contender status yielded 11 more wins and nearly a Section II Class AA title for the Shaker High girls' basketball team in March.
Coach Emily Caschera's second season with the Blue Bison saw them go from 6-15 in 2008-09 to 17-5 in 2009-10.
"It is really great how we came along. Coach Caschera has turned this program around," said Shaker junior center Lauren Woods, one of four returning starters. "As a team, we have very high expectations."
Shenendehowa ultimately was the obstacle the Blue Bison could not overcome in 2009-10 -- losing all three meetings in close contests, including a 47-42 verdict in the Class AA title game.
And the Plainsmen beat Shaker again Tuesday, 50-42, in the 2010-11 season opener. The Blue Bison have already compartmentalized Tuesday's loss, and, unlike New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, Caschera and her players didn't bury Tuesday's game ball behind the school.
By JAMES ALLEN Staff Writer
Published: 12:53 a.m., Saturday, December 11, 2010
Coach Emily Caschera's second season with the Blue Bison saw them go from 6-15 in 2008-09 to 17-5 in 2009-10.
"It is really great how we came along. Coach Caschera has turned this program around," said Shaker junior center Lauren Woods, one of four returning starters. "As a team, we have very high expectations."
Shenendehowa ultimately was the obstacle the Blue Bison could not overcome in 2009-10 -- losing all three meetings in close contests, including a 47-42 verdict in the Class AA title game.
And the Plainsmen beat Shaker again Tuesday, 50-42, in the 2010-11 season opener. The Blue Bison have already compartmentalized Tuesday's loss, and, unlike New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, Caschera and her players didn't bury Tuesday's game ball behind the school.
"It is who wins the last game, not the first," Shaker senior guard Adrianne Devine said.
"We know what we need to work on."
Asked what she thought the 2009-10 campaign did for her returning players, Caschera said, "I think they learned what winning is all about. They have the desire, and they want to do more."
"I think last year definitely gave us the experience in the big games," Devine said.
"Last year and the year before, we weren't really thought of as a threat. We've made a name at Shaker and we want to add to it."
"We know we're not the underdogs anymore, but we also know that last year doesn't matter now," said Woods, a 2010 second-team, large-school all-area selection by the Times Union.
Woods is joined up front by 6-foot-1 junior forward MacKenzie Rowland and 5-9 sophomore forward/guard Madison Rowland.
Devine, who is headed to Georgetown University on a lacrosse scholarship, now plays in the backcourt alongside senior Christine Alley, the team's lone new starter.
The mission for the Blue Bison this season is to become the first Shaker team to win a Section II title since 1982.
Caschera and her players believe a Class AA title is an attainable objective, although they acknowledge teams like Shen, Colonie and Bethlehem to be formidable adversaries.
"We feel we're close," Woods said. "We just have to keep working hard and do what we did last year, play our best at the end."
"We know what we need to work on."
Asked what she thought the 2009-10 campaign did for her returning players, Caschera said, "I think they learned what winning is all about. They have the desire, and they want to do more."
"I think last year definitely gave us the experience in the big games," Devine said.
"Last year and the year before, we weren't really thought of as a threat. We've made a name at Shaker and we want to add to it."
"We know we're not the underdogs anymore, but we also know that last year doesn't matter now," said Woods, a 2010 second-team, large-school all-area selection by the Times Union.
Woods is joined up front by 6-foot-1 junior forward MacKenzie Rowland and 5-9 sophomore forward/guard Madison Rowland.
Devine, who is headed to Georgetown University on a lacrosse scholarship, now plays in the backcourt alongside senior Christine Alley, the team's lone new starter.
The mission for the Blue Bison this season is to become the first Shaker team to win a Section II title since 1982.
Caschera and her players believe a Class AA title is an attainable objective, although they acknowledge teams like Shen, Colonie and Bethlehem to be formidable adversaries.
"We feel we're close," Woods said. "We just have to keep working hard and do what we did last year, play our best at the end."
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