The return of Upward basketball

Hey sports fans! Upward basketball season is now upon us. I've been a little lax with my posting the schedules; we already have two games under our belts. Fear not, there is still plenty of basketball to be played, many opportunities to see my daughters show their skills. This is Rachel's third year in the league and Becca is lacing up the hightops for the first time. We play in the new gym at Eastview every Saturday. Here are their schedules for the season. As always, check back each week to see updates on the girl's performance.

Jan 5
Becca 8:30 She took the court for the first time ever and did a fantastic job. Rather than standing around and watching like all my other children did their first times, Becca moved without the ball and tried to get involved. Of course, at times her movement was pointless and she frequently lost track of where the ball was, but she played hard and had fun. She put up an amazing stat line for her very first effort recording a double-double with two points and two rebounds. Alas, her contribution was not enough as the Lady Aces fell 38-36 in a thriller.
Rachel 2:30 Even though Rachel is in the younger grade for her league, she still is one of the tallest girls out there. It's fun to see her gain control of her abilities and learn how to play properly. You can see her thinking on the court. She tries to anticipate where an open spot on the floor will be and she attempts to get there to receive a pass. For this game her coach had her bringing the ball up the floor to set up the offense. I'm not sure I really see the wisdom in that decision. Unlike her uncle Dan, she cannot go left. Luckily, the defense didn't pick up on that fact so there was no advantage lost. Rachel put up an even more impressive stat line than her sister, scoring a season-high two points to go with her incredible four rebounds, not to mention the blanket defense that is the hallmark of the Leman family. The Rockets began their season the right way posting a 33-30 victory.
Jan 12
Becca 9:30 The girls were assigned positions in practice this week, Becca is a forward. Her job is to 'get open' and shoot the ball. Like every other child learning basketball, the admonition to 'get open' is a difficult one for her to grasp. She did some more aimless running and skipping around the floor in her attempt to contribute. She was in the right place at the right time to snatch a key rebound and she poured in a new career high 4 points. Perhaps more practice is needed because this game wasn't even close. They were embarrassed 52-40 as the losing streak continues.
Rachel 1:30 Rachel was relieved of her point guard duties this week. She had a decent game, but we were overmatched. We kept it close for a while, then fell behind, then caught up, then just when we thought there was a chance for victory (or at least a tie), we tossed an errant pass out of bounds in the last seconds. The final score was 27-25 but it wasn't that close. Our winning streak is snapped at one game. Rachel put in two points and pulled down two rebounds. Her friend Kristyn was on the other team. We're waiting for the rematch on Feb 23.
Jan 19
Becca 8:30 She wasn't feeling well so she missed her game. We think they lost.
Rachel 1:30 The 4/5th grade league is a rough one. They are allowed to steal the ball from their opponent now, and most of the other teams seized that philosophy early on. Our team finally has adopted that strategy and it is starting to pay off. We were locked in a low scoring contest for much of this game. It came down to who had the ball last in the final period. There were fouls committed in the final minute which results in automatic points on the board due to the running clock. This caused some confusion about the final score, but after further review, we prevailed by a single point 26-25. Rachel was held scoreless, but she did haul in two rebounds. She definitely made her contribution on the defensive end of the floor. She is very quick, and they put her on the other team's highest scorer. Rachel kept with her and contained the threat.
Jan 26
Becca 8:30 Cancelled due to a down power line that cut the power to the church.
Rachel 1:30 W 36-24. Rachel didn't score this week, but she did pull down 4 rebounds. She had some great defense with one steal to go with 3 jump balls she caused.
Feb 9
Becca 8:30 W 48-40. Becca is starting to coast. Her interest in the game isn't as high as it was at the beginning of the season and her effort reflects that. She only touched the ball once by grabbing a rebound. She was scoreless for this game.
Rachel 1:30 W 42-14. Rachel had 2 points today to go along with one rebound and a steal. She really enjoys playing and it's fun to watch her go full tilt on the court.
Feb 16
Becca 8:30 This one wasn't even close. We got our tails handed to us. Becca put forth her usual effort and touched the ball one time. She failed to score any points or contribute in any other statistical way. I asked her after the game if she had fun and she told me she did. Then I asked if she had more fun on the bench or on the court. Without hesitation she admitted that the bench was a lot more fun.
Rachel 1:30 This game made up for Becca's earlier massacre. We fought hard the whole time and built a pretty comfortable lead. In the final period we let it slip away a little bit and almost gave it all back. Carly, who was on Rachel's team a couple of years ago, was the best player on the other side and we kept her in check pretty well. We won the game by about a second, as the other team made a desperation shot just after the buzzer sounded. Final score 38-36 win. Rachel didn't score but she had 2 rebounds and a nice steal.
Feb 23
Becca 8:30 Becca really didn't need to show up today. She never touched the ball and didn't do much else on defense either. The only highlight of the day was to watch the absolute joy on the faces of the other team when the game ended. They were thrilled to get their first win of the season. Too bad it came at our expense. We lost 38-35.
Rachel 1:30 This was Rachel's best all-around game of the season. She scored six points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and snatched 2 steals. She played hard the whole game, and at one point she threw herself on the floor chasing a loose ball. It certainly was enjoyable watching her play this one. This one was the rematch with Kristyn we were waiting for. We prevailed this time, 31-19.
March 1
Becca 9:30
Rachel 1:30