After routing the Woodland Beavers on Tuesday, Jan. 9, Ridgefield girls basketball head coach Lauren Hefflin believes this season’s success is due to her team committing to the hard work on defense and rebounding the basketball.
The Spudders’ hard work landed them at 9-1 heading into last week after their first loss of the season to the Columbia River Rapids on Jan. 5. Ridgefield bounced back with a 60-35 win at home against rival Woodland on Jan. 9. The Spudders added another win, 65-32, against Fort Vancouver High School on Thursday, Jan. 11.
“I think they’re building chemistry every single game,” Hefflin said of her squad. “I think, from a coaching standpoint, being able to kind of get those sub rotations down, kind of learning who goes best with who has kind of been what we’ve been trying to figure out lately.”
Hefflin believes her roster from top to bottom includes all the key players this season as every practice is competitive and gets her game rotation ready for each game. This year, Hefflin is emphasizing defense and rebounding, to which her players are committed.
“Continuing to buy in and trusting what we’re giving them and then building it within themselves to play hard with that chemistry is going to continue to be vital as we continue to play game, practice, game, practice,” Hefflin said. “We can’t take a lot of teams in our league lightly.”
With the Spudders committed to their defense, the team has improved offensively at the same time. Hefflin said that defense has led to a higher percentage at offense this season because the Spudders are searching for smart shots and not forcing them so much, which has helped their efficiency, Hefflin believes.
The Spudders were also slated to play at W.F. West High School in Chehalis on Monday, Jan. 15 and Tuesday, Jan. 16 at home against Hockinson High School, results unavailable at time of print.
The Spudders are slated to travel to Washougal for a 7 p.m. game on Friday, Jan. 19. The Beavers will next play on the road at 7 p.m. against the Fort Vancouver Trappers on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
