By Robb Fenton
While their play on the court could have been better, the experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The Lloyd Comp Lady Barons senior basketball team headed to Hawaii during the Christmas break for a tournament, but it was the trip rather than the tournament the girls will remember.
“It was good. The girls had lots of fun and we ended up second on the B side for the tournament,” Barons head coach Melissa Bielesch said. Bielesch admitted her team could have played better, but the team may have been a little sidetracked with all the sites.
“I think the sun took a lot out of them and the Hawaii teams were very, very good,” Bielesch said. “We played the state champions and didn’t do so well. It was a learning experience for us.”
Obviously Bielesch would have liked to have had better results, but the trip overall was a success.
“It was a good experience, they had lots of fun and it was a good cultural experience, too,” she said.
Away from the court, the team was able to take in some sights and learn a few things about Hawaii and its people.
“We got to go see the volcano (Kilauea), which is the most active one in the world. There were some educational things like that. The girls got to go in the ocean which many of them have not had the chance to do before,” Bielesch said of some of the non-basketball highlights of the trip. “We met other players from other teams and saw a different way of life.”
Probably the main thing the team will look to improve on is their team game.
“We need to play more as a team. We watched other games and saw how playing as a team worked, not just five individual players on the court,” she said. “That is something we’re definitely going to work on, more team play.”
With a tonne of memories, but the trip behind them, the Barons will now focus on the busy months ahead.
“We’re looking forward to the rest of the season. The next two months will be real busy so it should be good.”