Lady Swedes Bring Home Holiday Tournament Trophy | News
The Lady Swedes basketball team competed in the Hershey Holiday Tournament beginning Thursday, December 29th. The Swedes began their battle for the championship plaque at 2:00 PM against the Doniphan-Trumbull Cardinals.
Gothenburg showed their eagerness to advance to the championship game when they defeated the Cardinals with ease. But Swedes head coach Kassie Schuett said, “Doniphan-Trumbull was a lot more aggressive than I expected after watching them on film, but I thought the girls came out and set the pace of the game by meeting their aggression and keeping it throughout. the game.”
The Swedes were able to take over the game with their unmatched defense and ball pressure, resulting in many fast break points.
“We’ve improved so much in terms of running the floor in transition and that leads to a lot of transition points that allow us to extend the lead on our opponents,” said Coach Schuett.
From early on, the Cardinals couldn’t keep up with the tempo of the Swedes’ offense. As the first quarter drew to a close, Gothenburg had amassed 19 points while Doniphan-Trumbull was held to 12.
The Swedes continued to extend their lead in the second and third quarters, allowing only 11 points to be scored by the Cardinals, while scoring another 26. However, Doniphan-Trumbull did not give up and in the fourth quarter was able to score 6 points while holding the Swedes on only 8. The final score was 53-29.
After their win against Doniphan-Trumbull, the Swedes went home to prepare for the championship game against the Hershey Panthers on Friday, December 30th. Despite Hershey’s home field advantage, the Swedes came out on top and achieved their goal of being tournament champions. .
After losing to the Swedes already this season, the Panthers were ready to make a comeback. “We expected a battle against Hershey, playing them a second time,” Coach Schuett said. “We’re Hershey’s only loss and the girls knew that going into the game. We expected them to throw everything they had at us and that’s exactly what they did, but our girls were ready to compete.”
Hershey took the lead in the first quarter, making it 12 to 11. The Panthers began to struggle to find ways to score in the second quarter, allowing the Swedes to take the lead into halftime.
In the second half, both teams were upbeat and intense. The Lady Swedes controlled their offense and put defensive pressure on their opponents, extending the lead over the Panthers. In the fourth, both teams scored another 8 points, making the final score 40-32.
“I’m proud of how the girls have played the first third of the season and we look forward to getting the new year started against McCook and Centura,” said Coach Schuett.
The Gothenburg Lady Swedes were named the Hershey Holiday Tournament Champions and are preparing for their next upcoming matches. The Swedes are now 7-1 on the season and will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 6 at McCook, with varsity scheduled to begin at