(GIRLS) Walnut Grove Gators defeat Argyle Pipers, led by Grove's Pemberton
Argyle Pipers v. Walnut Grove Gators
Written by Scott Leigh
The Argyle Pipers are welcoming the Walnut Grove Gators into their brand spankin’ new gym, to compete for a coveted early season win. Argyle stands behind their motto, ‘carpe diem - seize the day’, whereas Walnut Grove’s motto is ‘communiter discimus - together we learn’; on December 9, 2021 - will it be those who seize the day or learn together that ultimately wins this matchup?
The Pipers have a size advantage when you look at the length of their bench, but the Gators certainly bring the size advantage when it comes to the height of their players. The Gators pushed the pace early and took advantage of their height, giving them a quick 7 point lead to start the game. Turnovers by the Pipers combined with the Gators crashing the glass and offensive rebounding led to Walnut Grove earning extra possessions, and increasing their lead. Close to 5 minutes into the game the Pipers had earned their first points and the home crowd is fired up!
#9 for the Gators, Pemberton, is used her height and craftiness to do damage on the inside. Multiple easy buckets inside pushed her team’s lead up to 18 still with lots of time left in the quarter. Argyle was not ready to call it a game that early and they continued to fight and earned a few buckets before the quarter completed.
End of the first quarter: Gators 24 - Pipers 7
#3 for the Gators, Taylor, is doing it all - she forced turnovers on D, found the open player in transition and led her congregation of Gators… yes, a group of alligators is referred to as a congregation. The easy buckets in transition for Walnut Grove extended the lead, with #14 Nystrom taking advantage of her time on the court with back-to-back-to-back finishes around the rim.
Walnut Grove’s ravenous ‘D’ is lived up to the expectation of that of a Gator - their Mascot Wally the Gator may have gotten the evening off tonight, but I am certain he is at home immensely proud of the fierceness these Gators are showing. #7 for Argyle, Hills, completed the slick eurostep manoeuvre with a floater over the D that pushed the Pipers towards double digits before halftime.
Halftime score: 53-9 for Walnut Grove
Halftime Fact: The head coach of the Argyle Pipers, Anthony Beyrouti, and his company Venue Kings has been a long time sponsor of the No Regrets Basketball tournament - thank you for your continued support!
Halftime Fact: Argyle school opens their doors 30 minutes earlier than Walnut Grove, with a 7:30 am opening time compared to Walnut Grove’s 8:00am.
The start of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first half, with Walnut Grove taking control. It appeared that the Pipers looked to pick up the pace of play and find more opportunities in transition. They made a concerted effort to push the ball up the court and tried to find easier opportunities inside to score. #7 for the Gators, Rosseu, just made it look easy with a deep 3 that almost hit the roof, but barely touched the net on the way through – swish chalet.
End of third quarter: 71-16 Walnut Grove
The Gators bench was not long with only 8 players, but it seemed each of the players had found ways to contribute; their unselfish play was effective offensively to always find the open player and their relentless team defense was suffocating. For Argyle - this was a great opportunity to dig deep and gain some great early season experience against a very talented team. Build some team chemistry, throw back a few post-game gatorades, hit the showers and forget about this one and get ready for the next - carpe diem, tomorrow.
If we have learned anything here today - it is that there is no direct correlation between a school opening earlier and their chances of success in winning a basketball game. For sake of completeness, I would be amiss if I did not also confirm that on this day those who learn together prevail over those who seize the day.
Final Score: Walnut Grove 89: Argyle 26
No Regrets.