Check next week's Monitor for more Middle School wrap-up stories
8th grade Cowboy basketball season considered a success
By Pat O’Brien
The 2019-20 8th grade Cowboy basketball season was considered successful by everyone involved. The 14 players that finished the season advanced in their skills and provided excitement for the fans. Success came in many ways-they grew at becoming a team, learned to rely on each other, understood what caused them to fail and what caused them to succeed and they won a good number of games in the process.
These guys were enjoyable to coach. They came in and stayed hungry to learn, listened and played hard. They wanted the time that they put in to be worth it, and I believe they walked away from here believing that it was.”
8th grade Cowgirl basketball team shows growth
By Logan Holmes
The C-G-D 8th grade Cowgirl basketball team recently wrapped up a season of continued growth and improvement. In the “A” games, the team finished with a record of 6-6 which included wins over St. Edmond 34-10, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 22-11 and 30-26, Algona 27-24 and 52-23 and Eagle Grove 31-20. The “B” games also had a 6-6 record with wins over Clear Lake 25-20 and 22-21, Algona 26-18 and 44-15, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 34-16 and South Hamilton (7th/8th combined) 24-20.
One of our challenges this season was that we rarely had everyone due to various illnesses and injuries. In spite of that, I thought the girls we did have played hard night in and night out. We found a way to battle, even with some of the best teams we played. In the long run I think that made the team better because everyone was forced to step up in some way. I thought that everyone improved something in their own game, and overall we became more aggressive. That showed in a big way with our second win over Algona. The girls also started improving with their rebounding by late in the season, which will be big for them moving forward. I believe that Cowgirl Basketball has a bright future, and I am excited to see what this group does in the coming years in the high school program.”
7th Cowboy basketball team improved on a daily basis
By Ronnie Downing
The goal for the CGD 7th grade Cowboy basketball team was to get better every day. I challenged the players to come into practice every day and do beter than they did the day before. From doing one more push up to making one more free throw every day or one extra sprint. They always rose to the occasion, and I was pleased with the effort all season long.
They took the lesson of getting better every day to the court with them. As the season progressed they improved every game. From basic fundamentals of boxing out and good shooting form to zone defense and fast breaks, I saw a big improvement from the beginning of the season.
I am really looking forward to watching this team in the future. My advice to them is “keep getting better every day and have fun playing the game!”
