We're going for the experience: Lane

To say Hannah Lane and Sarah Kattenbusch are excited about this month's 2010 Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games is a huge understatement.

Following an exhibition game last week at St. Paul's Intermediate in Gander, Lane and Kattenbusch talked about the upcoming event, and both girls were already giddy with excitement.

"We're going there to do our best," said Lane, unable to control her laughter, as her St. Paul's Intermediate Girls' Winter Games Basketball teammate Kattenbusch tries to catch her breath. "We're going for the experience."

All kidding and giddiness aside, both girls know the team must utilize its strengths if it wants to return home with medals. Kattenbusch said the team is extremely fast, with the ability to run the floor and make precision passes.

Head coach Ed Traverse said he has put the girls through a number of drills related to basketball fundamentals, and all of that work is really starting to show.

"We're big on fundamentals. Our girls are extremely good ball handlers, and we spend a lot of time working on lay-ups, power lay-ups, passing and shooting," he said. "The girls are really fit and they run the floor well. We see that as our strengths."

With the Games now just 16 days away, Traverse will use the little time remaining to work on presses. He said his team have a few presses it can throw at the opposition, and he's sure the opposition have a few tricks up their sleeves as well.

"We play the way the high school team plays" said Traverse. "We run a few different presses and we work on breaking the press because we know we're going to be pressed when we get out to Grand Falls-Windsor. It's full-fledged basketball with no holds-barred, right?"

Although Traverse and his team are looking forward to the Winter Games experience, the head coach will be thinking of a few players who can't make the trip to Grand Falls-Windsor. Unfortunately, the Winter Games rules restrict the number of players a coach can take, which meant Traverse had the difficult decision of determining who can't go.

"We normally carry 16 girls, but we're only allowed to carry 12 girls to the Winter Games tournament. I can't carry all of my girls and that breaks my heart," he said. "It's not what I'd rather do, but we have to do what we have to do. I'm a firm believer of getting more kids playing. Right now in junior high, between the two girls' teams, there are more than 30 girls playing basketball. That's a huge step in the right direction."

The St. Paul's Intermediate squad earned the right to represent central by winning a four-team qualification tournament at J.M. Olds Collegiate in Twillingate a few months back. According to Traverse, his team was able to win the tournament quite handily, and he's hoping the girls will take that momentum into the Winter Games tournament.

"We're looking forward to meeting new people from across the island, from all of the different sports," said Kattenbusch.

"We can't wait to play basketball against all of the teams we haven't played before. It's going to be a great time," added Lane.

The girl's basketball tournament will take place from March 25-27, and will be held at Leo Burke Academy in Bishop's Falls on March 25 and 27, and at Exploits Valley Intermediate in Grand Falls-Windsor on March 26. Central is in Division B with St. John's North, Western and Labrador.