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On paper, the March 6 game between Caesar Rodney and Smyrna high school’s girls basketball teams was an evenly matched contest between the states No. 5 and No. 4 seeded teams.
The teams had split a pair of games in the regular season and both received a BYE through the first round, followed by a win each in the second round.
But even though things looked even, Rider Head Coach Bill Victory said there was one X-factor that gave Smyrna (20-2) the clear advantage: Betnijah Laney.
The junior forward for the Eagles, regarded as one of, if not the, state’s top female players became too much for the Riders (12-9) to handle in the quarterfinals game, Victory said, as his team’s season was ended in a 54-39 loss.
“I’ve seen her play quite a bit in the past three years, but she played with more fire and determination than I’ve ever seen,” Victory said of Laney, who finished with 21 points. “When she decided to step on the gas, there’s nothing we could do with her.”
With a roster full of players with little to no experience at the varsity level, the coach said it was a bit surprising to get to the quarterfinals, something he hopes his players will look at as a big achievement.
Victory added that having to replace nearly every starter from the 2008-2009 team was a challenge, but one that’s necessary to face in high school athletics.
“When that situation arises, role players go from a place where they’ll just play a role and give other people a break every now and then, to all of a sudden becoming a main player and having to produce at a high level every night,” he said.
Players like Monique Miller and Deandra Scott were some of the players that answered that call, Victory said, and with that came some exceeded expectations.
“I think we went further than anyone had given us credit for,” he said. “Nobody thought we’d go to the quarterfinals, but we caught fire a little bit there at the end.”
One of the major joys of the season, Victory said, was seeing a mental toughness and resilience develop in his players that helped the Riders get the opportunity to play a game at the Bob Carpenter Center in this year’s playoffs.
“After working as hard as we worked in practice and not getting wins out of it, they’d turn around and put on the hard hat and get the lunch pail and go right back to work,” he said.
Victory pointed to certain games, like the 39-34 win over Smyrna on Dec. 18, as examples of how underappreciated CR was in the state this year.
“We took some hits but we were able to come back and get wins. We beat some teams like Smyrna, who could very well win a state championship,” he said. “You look at them and us, and we shouldn’t be on the same floor as them. But we beat them, and those are the things that pleasantly surprise you in a season.”
Email Brian Citino at brian.citino@doverpost.com
On paper, the March 6 game between Caesar Rodney and Smyrna high school’s girls basketball teams was an evenly matched contest between the states No. 5 and No. 4 seeded teams.
The teams had split a pair of games in the regular season and both received a BYE through the first round, followed by a win each in the second round.
But even though things looked even, Rider Head Coach Bill Victory said there was one X-factor that gave Smyrna (20-2) the clear advantage: Betnijah Laney.
The junior forward for the Eagles, regarded as one of, if not the, state’s top female players became too much for the Riders (12-9) to handle in the quarterfinals game, Victory said, as his team’s season was ended in a 54-39 loss.
“I’ve seen her play quite a bit in the past three years, but she played with more fire and determination than I’ve ever seen,” Victory said of Laney, who finished with 21 points. “When she decided to step on the gas, there’s nothing we could do with her.”
With a roster full of players with little to no experience at the varsity level, the coach said it was a bit surprising to get to the quarterfinals, something he hopes his players will look at as a big achievement.
Victory added that having to replace nearly every starter from the 2008-2009 team was a challenge, but one that’s necessary to face in high school athletics.
“When that situation arises, role players go from a place where they’ll just play a role and give other people a break every now and then, to all of a sudden becoming a main player and having to produce at a high level every night,” he said.
Players like Monique Miller and Deandra Scott were some of the players that answered that call, Victory said, and with that came some exceeded expectations.
“I think we went further than anyone had given us credit for,” he said. “Nobody thought we’d go to the quarterfinals, but we caught fire a little bit there at the end.”
One of the major joys of the season, Victory said, was seeing a mental toughness and resilience develop in his players that helped the Riders get the opportunity to play a game at the Bob Carpenter Center in this year’s playoffs.
“After working as hard as we worked in practice and not getting wins out of it, they’d turn around and put on the hard hat and get the lunch pail and go right back to work,” he said.
Victory pointed to certain games, like the 39-34 win over Smyrna on Dec. 18, as examples of how underappreciated CR was in the state this year.
“We took some hits but we were able to come back and get wins. We beat some teams like Smyrna, who could very well win a state championship,” he said. “You look at them and us, and we shouldn’t be on the same floor as them. But we beat them, and those are the things that pleasantly surprise you in a season.”
Email Brian Citino at brian.citino@doverpost.com
