The Lady Redhawks came out on the winning end of a tight game versus Livonia Stevenson, losing the first quarter 7 to 6 but winning each quarter after that and finishing with a 21 – 15 victory. Despite the low score, Athens had seven players with points in a gutsy team effort. Coach Ken Gleason was happy with how the team was able to move the ball against a solid Stevenson defense and singled out the play of Bree Rota. “We rode on Arianna’s coattails a bit (7 points), and she and Charlotte did a good job underneath, but I thought that Bree was the difference maker. She’s a good player, but even some of the parents are noticing how she’s expanding her game: she’s changing speeds and making good decisions to become a good floor general. She gets the game ball.” The prettiest play of the game was probably a shot fake, drive, and swished jumper by Emily Cousino, but on the whole, the Redhawks had a rough shooting night. When asked about the game, Vivian Luo laughed and said, “Our shooting was NOT the best – but we made some shots.” Bree added, “I thought we played really well as a team combined. Stevenson was way more aggressive than some of the other teams we have played.” Coach Gleason summarized the win. “One of the things I really like about our team is how they figure things out. I don’t know if this filters down from the varsity team or if it’s just the nature of the kids at Athens, but they’re pretty smart. With the varsity team, some of the discussions the players have I find remarkable; I mean they have the terminology down and everything. At our level, we assigned Dita and Bree to cover Stevenson’s best guards, and the girls they chose – who were not the ones I would have chosen – turned out to be their best. Mallory (Colussi) suggested that we change our press, and that was the right call as well. It was as much a mental effort tonight as a physical one.” With the holiday break, the girls get about ten days off. In talking about how things have gone so far, Charlotte said, “I think the season’s gone pretty well. I think the team just bonds very easily, and goes together easily, and I’m looking forward to winning more games.” Vivian added, “I’m looking forward to experiencing more memories with the team and to have fun.”