Let me just start off by saying that these girls are absolute STUDS and are incredibly entertaining to watch. I am not saying this as a basketball expert by any means, I am just a person with a general knowledge of the game that can appreciate when a team can kick some serious butt, yes butt. I will be honest, I have not watched every home game that the women have played this year, but when I do go to the games I am always thoroughly impressed and amazed by what they can do on the court. They may not be able to dunk or throw passes that turn into alley-oop dunks, but they play the game quick and aggressively and with an extreme amount of hustle and passion. GPAC Players of the Week are not made of anything less than those characteristics and our women have been able to boast of a few Players of the Week this year along with GPAC Player of the Year, Becca Hurley.
I may be speaking with some bias as a female athlete myself, but often times I think people tend to look past women's sports and not give the full amount of credit that the women are due for their accomplishments. One example that backs up this claim is the fact that the Bultman Center Gym is waaaaay less crowded when the women play a game than when the men do. I think, in terms of pure talent and skill the women are completely up to par with the men, which makes me wonder why the fan base is quite a bit smaller for the women compared to the men's team. But, I just want to focus on the women's team and try to avoid comparing them to the men's team.
I watched the Raider Women play for the GPAC Championship on Tuesday (March 1st) against the Morningside Mustangs, definite rivals of all Raider teams. This was an incredible game. It was back and forth and tight in score the entire time. The range between scores for both teams was never very far and quite often the score was tied. Towards to end of the game the Raiders had pulled ahead by about 8 points with not much time on the clock. Sitting in the crowd I was actually getting a little nervous because the Mustangs were getting a few drives and making some points. But, I could tell that our girls were completely keeping their cool. They knew they just had to finish the game strong, keep up both the defense and the offense, and make their foul shots if the opportunity presented itself, which it did a few times and the Raiders were able to secure the lead with even more of a cushion. The Raiders won the game with a final score of 84-74 to win the GPAC Women's Basketball Championship.
Seriously, if you have not watched these women play you need to because they are outstanding. And, their season is not over because they are headed to the National Tournament along with the men's team. Good luck to both teams as they compete next week in this prestigious tournament!
Glory Benson
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