gotchanewsdaily.com 
DOYLESTOWN — The biggest thing for the Chippewa girls’ basketball program has been to prepare for the stretch run and the OHSAA playoffs. Some of the biggest hurdles in its path has been when opponents slow the game down and force the Chipps into a halfcourt game, situational basketball and just getting their basketball feet under them.
On Monday night, Chippewa got a real chance to size itself up in all three of those phases. How did it grade out against Div. III and unbeaten Medina Highland? They continue to improve is what Chipps coach Katie Miller said as she saw her team hold their own in the halfcourt game against a talented Hornet’s squad. Chippewa converted some situational moments but then saw some slip through its fingertips, like the ending, where Highland drained the last 23 seconds off the clock without drawing a foul.
More:Waynedale wrestling wins Wheeling Park Duals for first time in program history
“It was a great learning opportunity,” said Miller. “We had kind of one of those mental breakdowns happen there, but it’s better for it to happen in a non-league than in a league game. We haven’t really had that opportunity yet this season, so we will learn from it, and we will get better from it. It was nice to see us doing those other things more consistently so that we can now keep improving our game overall.”
As for when Highland slowed the game down and forced Chippewa to work the ball around and set up offensively, it had more flow and rhythm. It attacked the paint with ease and worked inside out very efficiently.
More:Norwayne goes south to Florida, goes 2-1 in Nature Coast Christmas Tournament
“We’ve been putting a lot more time into our halfcourt offense,” smiled Miller. “We talked to our kids about that. It’s a little bit of a confidence thing too, the more reps we get in practice, the more games that we play here in season, it all helps. We are young, reps are important whether they are in practice or a game, just as important though, we believe as our kids have more reps, we will get better.”
That doesn’t mean this process is happening overnight as the Chipps prepare for the real test of the second round of league play and then the state tournament, which is the ultimate litmus test.
“We’ve been hard on the kids and they’re responding in practice,” she said. “We say, ‘You have to practice like you’re going to play.’ They don’t like hearing that, but we’re getting there, we still have ugly practices and parts of the game that are ugly, but we’re doing a better job.”
Make no bones about it though, if any team wants to run up and down the court and create more possessions, this Chippewa team is in. Arguably the most athletic squad in the Wayne County Athletic League and probably the area, if the Chipps can, they will no doubt push the pace.
“We like that style and want to play that way,” said Miller. “We fully support it as a staff, because you have to do the things that you do well, and we do that well. When teams want to slow it down, you have to have success as well, so just trying to play a complete game continues to be our goal.”
