Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

March 8, 2017

Writing this has been an absolute challenge. I'm very sad to say that this is the last blog for your Lady Jackets until next season...

Our week started off started off just like all the weeks before it...but this time there was a layer of excitement. It was G-MAC week! It also had a layer of anxiety because we had to finish a weeks worth of assignments and tests in two days because we would be leaving on Wednesday for the G-MAC banquet. So that was awesome...

Last Monday we walked into the gym with great focus. We knew we were going to have to practice great if we were going to play great. Practice was a time of making our weaknesses our strengths and our strengths were to be perfect. Drill after drill, play after play performed until no mistakes were found. We practiced feeling tired and confident.

Tuesday was a little more laid back but still full on focus mode was expected. We still did drills and ran plays but in shorter increments to save our legs for the games ahead. In a few short hours practice ended and so did our school week.

Wednesday we were in the gym at noon for a practice that served as a walk-through for Alderson Broaddus. We quickly traded our sweat-covered bodies and soiled gear for squeaky clean bodies and daisy fresh travel clothes. We gathered the rest of our belongings and loaded up on the charter bus. After what seemed like 12 hours we arrived at the hotel. You'd think we would finally have some down time but spoiler alert...we didn't!

Once at the hotel it was time to get jazzed for the G-MAC banquet. Mascara was applied, eyebrows were plucked, hair was styled and the dresses were fabulous. Coach had told us that this was a business trip and I'd say we looked pretty professional. The evening was absolutely lovely. Sue Ramsey, former head coach for Ashland, graced us with her presence and shared/ dropped some knowledge on us. I'd also like to shout-out Coach Hoffman for having the best speech of the whole night. She spoke with a clear and encompassing voice that brought sincere words to everyone's ears. You could tell she cared about every single word she said. Also, Regina and Baylee were both named Second Team All-G-MAC!!! At the end of the night it was off to get some rest for the game ahead.

Thusday morning brought hotel breakfast and a shoot around at Ursuline. It served as our final walk-through before we dove head first into the deep end. With tournament play you don't have time to test the water. You have to be all in, submerge yourself in competition and lay everything on the line. That's exactly what we did Thursday night. We dove into the water and emerged victorious. We lived to see another day and take on new competition.

Friday morning we bandaged our wounds and saddled up for another rodeo. Our next opponent was Malone. The game was neck and neck and it came down to the wire. Sadly, the ball did not bounce our way. When the final buzzer sounded and the game came to an end our season went with it. In the locker room we were told it was alright for us to cry but not to hang our heads because we played well and gave everything that we had. We had a good season and grew massively from our first outing this year. We left the gym with tear-soaked eyes and our heads held high. We are Cedarville Women's Basketball and we will be back.

Saturday we got up early, packed our bags and hit the road. For lunch the players got to decide and we decided fine dining at MOD in Columbus. MOD is an excellent place where you can build your own pizza and it was absolutely lovely. We spent the whole way to campus changing "MOD!" We also had the great idea to crowd surf on the bus...Kelly Poole was our surfer and it was glorious! We also played Heads Uup, told stupid jokes and had a dance party where we realized that none of us can really dance. We had one last huddle and when the bus came to a stop on campus we unloaded and went our separate ways for the Spring Break we were hoping was going to be filled with basketball.

This season was definitely one to remember and one that I will hold dear. Thank you for keeping up with us and showing us unconditional love and support.

God Bless,

Jamie


February 28, 2017

Hello faithful fans, welcome to the last regular season blog. It's crazy how fast the season has gone! This past week we wrapped up with two great wins at home!

Last Monday was a glorious day for us basketball players. Coach Hoffman found some love in her heart and gave us the day off! We were thrilled when we received the text that we would have some time to catch up on things or just relax...the message wasn't all happy though. Your quote of the week is the message we received, "Just because I'm so darn proud of you all, the presents keep on comin:) ..... NO PRACTICE MONDAY! however, last time we gave you Monday off we sucked that week....So BE PREPARED Tues!!!!". She wasn't wrong, we blew chunks the last time we had a Monday practice cancelled...but that's old news.

Tuesday we walked in the gym guns a blazin' and didn't make coach regret giving us some chill time (praise the Lamb). Wednesday we kept the ball rolling and the coaches’ hearts content with our effort and precision during our walk through for the game against Salem International.

When Thursday finally arrived I could not contain my excitement. It was finally our Pink Game!!! Not only did we get to wear pink (my favorite if you were wondering) but we got to honor some pretty great breast cancer survivors and raised over $1,600 for breast cancer by making three-pointers. We often take for granted the joy of having a healthy life and playing for a cause like this helps bring us back down to reality. Sickness and ruin are in our world and sometimes we have to face it. That being said, all of the women we got to meet were absolutely amazing! It was an honor just to be in the presence of women who fought their battle head on with God at their side and won. It was truly a great day to be a Lady Jacket.

After the excitement died down and Friday rolled around it was back to business...or so we thought. Practice started off like any other pre-game walk through. We started with some shooting drills and then moved on to quarter-court play walk through. After we finished going through all of our plays coach stopped us and smiled just a little bit and told us that we were doing something a little different to prepare for the game Saturday. You guessed it, or maybe you didn't...now you're just waiting in agony for me to finally get to the point and tell you what we got to do instead of playing basketball. Alright, I've had my fun...we got to play DODGEBALL!!!!

The rules were quite simple, don't pass half court, no head shots, if you threw a ball into the basket on the other teams side you automatically won and if you knocked down a cone that was placed on the other teams side the people that got out got to come back in. I am very pumped to report that my team went 3-0. It came down to the wire in one game but at the end of the day pure skill, determination a little luck put us over the top!

I'd say Dodgeball paid off quite well because Saturday we capped off our regular season with a win! This game wasn't great because of the win though, it was great because it was Senior Day and our girl, Christina McQueen (Mac) balled out! She blocked shots left and right, nabbed huge rebounds and even scored a bucket or two. Mac has been with us for two years now and it seems so unreal that after our season ends she will no longer be with us. It has been an incredible ride with Mac and I want to wish her all the best with her future. Cheers to our senior!!!

We will be traveling to Ursuline to play in the G-MAC Tournament. Alderson Broaddus is our first match up for the event. We will be kicking things off on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.


February 20, 2017

Hey y'all, this past week was something stellar for your Lady Jackets! We traveled to Kentucky and Tennessee and returned with two huge wins. They were huge because they allowed us to clinch a higher seed (3rd place) in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament.

Monday we walked into the gym with one thing in mind, business. Our fun trip of the season wasn't looked at as fun but strictly as a business trip. We knew if didn't take care of things on the court and put two games away we were going to come home upset and seeded poorly. Our practice was one of great difficulty and pushed us to our limits. The focus was to have focus and perfect the little things. We worked on passing and catching, finishing bunny shots, and rebounding with urgency. We walked away with worn down bodies and aching legs. The next day was no different...We limped into the gym to our lovely coaching staff who tested our limits and pushed us to the max. At the time it was terrible, but looking back we all know those practices were exactly what we needed to get the job done on the road.

Wednesday was a great day, it was travel day! We loaded up our gym bags, downloaded some tunes and hauled our massive book bags onto the bus. Our backpacks were loaded because of all the homework we were going to have to catch up on...They did not contain any snacks, cards, and or movies for our long bus trip (for those who do not pick up on sarcasm easily, we definitely had snacks in our bags). We got to travel on the same charter as the men which was a nice change of pace and ultimately made the trip more enjoyable.

Thursday was business day 1. We arose from our slumber at the crack of dawn (it was actually 8:00 a.m. but it felt real early) and traveled to Kentucky Wesleyan for a shoot around. This was our last chance to brush up on the game plan and polish our skills. We then left the gym for our pre-game meal at Panera where they knew we were a women's basketball team...There was no fooling them into thinking we were a baseball team this time. After our stomachs were satisfied it was back to KWC to clinch a tally for our win column.

We knew this game was going to be a battle but we also knew we could win if we played to the best of our ability and kept our mistakes to a minimum. Folks, I am super pumped to tell you that's exactly what we did. We held Kentucky Wesleyan to a shooting percentage of 29% and played with an incredible sense of togetherness that we had been missing in previous games. Ultimately, we won because were able to put a little orange ball through an orange circle attached to a sheet of glass more than Kentucky Wesleyan. We ran off the court hooping and hollering so wildly that the men's referees standing by our locker room had to walk away because they were laughing uncontrollably at us.
 

Friday was another travel day which took us to the state of Tennessee, home of the Trevecca Trojans. We had a light walk through practice with some game planning and then headed to the hotel. We had plenty of time to work on homework and catch up on various Netflix series. After devoting some time to things other than basketball it was time to get dressed up for our night out on the town. Coach of course laughed at us because instead of the expected sweat pants and t-shirts, we strolled out in "actual girl outfits". We only had an hour after to dinner to walk around because we needed to save our legs for the game the next day. Even though we wanted a little more time to explore - an hour wasn't unreasonable. We witnessed some awesome bands, toured some stores and ate some very tasty ice cream (if coach asks, we ate some veggies, got it!).

We got back to the hotel around 8:30 p.m. where we quickly traded our girl outfits in for basketball gear. Some of us stayed in our rooms while others occupied the lobby and studied. At one point in the night Coach Estepp came over to the table Baylee and I were sitting at and gave us a very perplexed look. He asked, "Are you guys doing schoolwork" in complete amazement. We replied with a confused, "yes?". He then chuckled and said, "Man, I wish I had nerds on my team". This was single-handedly the best thing I had heard all week and was an obvious choice for the quote of the week.

Saturday was our last business day of the week. We had to perform or we would not secure the #3 seed and coach would probably make us walk back to Ohio. As you can see, there was a lot riding on the game. The first half was not our best but we managed to go into the looker room with the lead. The second half coach lit a fire under our tails and we played much better. Our shot selection improved, defense stepped up and our mistakes lessened. We walked out with the win and made our coach proud. It had been three years since the women's team returned home with two road wins from the KWC/Trevecca trip. I would like to thank our fantastic cheerleaders for making the trek to Nashville to cheer us on. It was awesome to have some of our peers to take the time out of their day to come and support us.

This week we have two games and they are both being held right here in Cedarville. We will play Salem International on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. This game is also our Breast Cancer Awareness (Play4Kay) game! Saturday we will continue G-MAC play with Ohio Valley at 4:00 p.m. After this game, we will be honoring our lone senior, Christina McQueen.


February 13, 2017

Hey there Lady Jackets fans! Your women's baseball team (yes, you read that right) had a tough go around this week. We suffered two tough road losses in conference play. We knew heading into the week that our games were going to mean big things for us. We had already clinched a G-MAC tournament spot but we were aiming to get a higher seed.

Monday was a rare breed because we had the day off. It really was needed, everyone had been burnt out from the previous week with having three games. It was a day to catch up on homework and rest our aching bodies. I cannot tell you how much every single member of the team appreciated that time of rest.

Tuesday and Wednesday we were back in the gym and started preparing for the big games ahead. We had really great practices filled with a lot of full court action which we needed. It's always good to scrimmage and throw in game-like situations to groom us for what may come. We also walked through our plan of attack to take down Ursuline. For those of you that don't know, the ball did not bounce our way.

Thursday was game day, and everyone knows that game days include a pre-game meal (usually at Panera). We left Cedarville around 10:30 in the morning and didn't look back. We headed straight to Panera where we were greeted by some pretty great workers. Since we are all on one tab when we travel we usually hold up one register forever and people not with us are directed to any other open register. When trying to see if there were any customers waiting that were not on our bill the cashier kindly yelled, "If you're not with the baseball team you can come around to the register on your right." And the boy running that registers said, "Yes, if you're not on the baseball team come to me!" Everyone just kind of looked around for a minute and started cracking up. There were whispers of, "We're not even boys" and "Dude, our sweatshirts say basketball." It was quite a comical experience. (This is also your quote of the week!)

When our baseball team was done eating we gathered up our things and hit the road in the middle of February (not a month for baseball) to go play a basketball game because it's basketball season. From the tip to the final buzzer you could tell we were off. The spark that had been with us the last time we played Ursuline just wasn't there. We couldn't put our finger on it but we knew we needed to head back to the drawing board if we were going to compete with Malone on Saturday.

Friday we got up fairly early and headed to Malone for a walk-through practice. It was all about game plan and what we were going to do to stop their key players. When the business side of things was over we loaded up the vans and drove to Regina's house and had the best lunch a girl could ask for. I really think her parents wanted us to gain 20 pounds apiece. After eating the amazing food we all went into a food coma and headed for the couches. We ended up spending the whole afternoon there watching movies and doing some homework. It was great to be in a house instead of a dorm room or hotel for a few hours. I cannot thank Reggie and her beautiful family enough for opening up their home to us.

Saturday was a new day and a chance to get a win. We started off the day with Malone planning and a devotional from coach. She talked to us abut our self worth and how nothing in this world can define who or what we are. Our identity is found in Christ alone not some basketball game or how many wins or losses we have. It's something that hit home for all of us. We often gauge our value by others’ opinions or how successful we are when none of that matters. What matters is that we are children of God and He alone is where our identity and self worth are found. Knowing this we walked into the game with a little swagger in our step.

That swagger did not carry us far...we ended up on the wrong side of the win/loss column. Malone came out guns a blazin'. We would start to chip away at their lead but then a another run would come from the Malone end and push us right back in the hole we came from. There were times of great triumph and times of disaster. We just couldn't string enough good events together to pull out a victory.

This week we are heading back to square one and preparing for more conference play.


February 6, 2017

Hello Jacket people, thank you for clicking on the blog yet again to see what the women's team has been up to! I'm going to let you know up front, we've been up to a whole lot of stuff! This week was jam-packed with games, team bonding and alumni-loving.

Our week started off a little different due to having three games. Instead of having an overly tough practice Monday, it was a lighter walk through to prep for Wilberforce. We left the gym feeling great and groomed for the game on Tuesday night. The next day we went to classes like normal, met in the locker room to grab our gear and piled into vans to make the road trip that lasted about five minutes to Wilberforce. Things started off a little rocky in the beginning but we regained composure and put them away like we knew we could. Everyone on the team got a chance to step on the hardwood and show what they were made of. I would like to add that Wilberforce has some of the nicest people you will ever encounter. I could not get over how friendly and genuine everyone was. We had a wonderful time on and off the court with the people there.

Wednesday rolled around and it was back to game planning. This time we were gearing up to play Davis &d Elkins. This practice consisted of a lot of five-on-five work, full court games and tough drills. The last time we faced D&E it did not go so hot...we were determined not to fall short again. Clips upon clips were made by our lovely coaching staff to pinpoint exactly where we messed up last time and what we needed to do the following day to come out on top. I am completely stoked to say that when Thursday night came around that we beat the pants off Davis & Elkins. We actually only won by seven but it felt like a lot. We stuck together and battled our way through a dog fight. I am so proud of the effort my teammates put forward. It took everyone strapping on their big pants to pull out that win.

Friday we were still on the high of winning but when practice came we knew we needed to forget the past and focus on the game ahead. Alderson Broaddus is a team that we knew we could beat but we also knew that they were capable of rising to any occasion and if we slacked off they would beat us. Practice was all about getting primed and being polished for Saturday...Friday wasn't all business though...

Your girls had a night out as a team! We tried our hand at bowling and well, I'm real glad we play basketball. Even though we weren't grand bowlers, we had a great time. Pictures were taken, laughs were shared, memories were made and our bond grew stronger. I also learned that Coach Buettell and Coach Leonzo are competitive all the time. While everyone was goofing around and trying out trick shots those two were as serious as serious could be. I'm glad I was not in their lane (no offense guys).

Saturday morning popped up and it was time to get in the right mind set to play. We got some shots up and listened to some pre-game jams in the locker room. When game time finally appeared we were ready. Aside from some turnovers and slight breakdowns we played pretty well. We walked away with win and had a huge crowd to celebrate with! Thank you to all who came out to support us. It was a great atmosphere to play in and an even better one to win in! I would also like to highlight Ellie for coming of the bench and shooting lights out! 14 points in 13 minutes...you go girl!

After over game concluded we got to catch up with some alumni and play with their awesome kids during the men's game. When the guys finished we took to the court once again but this time as coaches and supporters of past Lady Yellow Jackets. It was great to see some familiar faces and to meet new ones. I would love to say that my team came out on top but the officiating was just terrible and cost us big time...Thanks a lot Steve and Darren...In all seriousness though, it was an awesome time filled with some pretty awesome people.

Your quote of the week comes from Ellie Juengel, "Guys what is so special about a goat, everyone always says someone is the goat but why would they say that?" When using goat to describe a person it is actually G.O.A.T. Greatest Of All Time). So all this time she thought we were calling people farm animals and we definitely were doing no such thing!

Thanks for reading!

We have two contests this week. The first is Thursday at Ursuline and then we will play Saturday at Malone!


January 30, 2017

Happy Monday Jacket fans! This week consisted of long road trips and the sweet smell of victory.

At the beginning of our week Coach Hoffman told us to prepare for this week like we were preparing to play Malone and Ursuline again. We were told to focus and be sharp. Our first two practices were pretty solid but they weren't our best and it showed on Wednesday in our game.

Before I get into the game, I would like to inform you about our road trip there. We loaded up the bus early Wednesday morning and embarked on our four and a half hour drive to Bluefield State. In the beginning, there was not a lot of talking or really any interaction because everyone cuddled up nicely in their seat and caught a few more z's. I am continually thankful for the new Cedarville charter buses for the comfort they provide us on long trips. About an hour in people started to stir and the thought of watching a movie popped up. It was unanimously decided that we were going to watch She's the Man. It's crazy how many of us actually quoted that movie by heart. Needless to say, we had a fantastic bus ride! And yes, there were also brief moments where we worked on homework, we are very studious, I promise.

On another note, the game did not go the way we had planned. We came out very sluggish and did not perform well. We actually went into half down four points. The halftime chat was not very pleasant and I never wish to be put in that situation again. We didn't get reamed and our heads didn't get chewed off but coach was not happy. She did yell and lose her mind,she was disappointed, disappointed that we weren't following the game plan and disappointed that we were not living up to the expectations of Cedarville basketball. The timer ran down and the second half commenced. Things turned around real quick. We started playing how we usually do and looked a lot more comfortable on the court. We ended up with a win but left with a bad taste in our mouths. We will never play that low again or I fear coach may get so stressed that she'll go into labor on the side lines...on a side note, I would like to give a special shout out to my roommate and best friend, Baylee Bennett. She nailed eight threes and matched the single-game three point record! The girl was on fire!!

Our next trip we were much more prepared and nothing felt off when we walked into Ohio Valley's gym. We were ready to take on the masses and boy did we ever. Our start was incredible and left Ohio Valley wondering if they should even be allowed on the same court as us. It was a great game for us to get our confidence back. Everyone got the chance to step on the hardwood and toss the rock around. If you didn't hear, Christina is back to playing! OVU was her first official game back and she crushed it! In the first minute of being on the floor she nabbed two boards and scored two points. It was great seeing her back in action! This win was much more satisfying and the coaching staff was a lot happier leaving this time.

This week I'm doing something a little different and ending with a Quote of the Week. This one comes from Coach Hoffman and it arose during the Ohio Valley game when Taylor Buckley was guarding Watts and things seemed to be getting a little heated. Coach started pacing the side lines very nervously and when her mouth opened she said, "Oh Buckley is going to get killed, someone needs to go get her." It came out half-jokingly and half-serious. It was fantastic!

I hope y'all have a fantastic week!


January 23, 2017

Hey, hey ladies and gents! It was a heavy-duty week for the team. We played the two number one teams in our conference, Malone and Ursuline. We also had a ton of team birthdays! By a ton I actually mean three...

Monday started off just like any other day. Early morning classes, over caffeination by way of coffee, and our favorite part of the day, chapel. However, our day got a little crazy once we stepped foot in the locker room. As soon as we entered we were met by a screaming duo. Regina and Emily were jumping around and cheering because Monday was the start of their "birth week". Yes, you read that right...we don't just have birthdays around here.

Tuesday and Wednesday were a little more lax from a birth week standpoint, but practice-wise it was anything but chill. We were preparing to take down Malone. We knew that this game wasn't going to be a cake walk and we were going to have to earn every point we racked up on the scoreboard. There was a focus on shooting but most of our effort went to defense and how to stop the "four-headed monster" that was Malone's main scorers. After walking through all of their plays and personnel we left the gym feeling good. We were well prepared, now all we had to do was perform.

Thursday was a very intense day. Classes drug on and it felt as if time had stopped completely. All we wanted to do was play ball and it seemed like that would never happen. Low and behold we did make it to game time. Spirits were high and energy levels were off the charts. We were ready to bury Malone. The first half we came out slow but picked it up little by little. The second half was a completely different story. We had a booming third quarter and basically round-housed our opponents. The fourth quarter was filled with close action and racing hearts. We were confident that we could pull off the win but Malone didn't roll over and die. They fought with everything they had for as long as they could. Our whole team was a big ball of hype and energy. To explain how excited we were I will share the words of Anna. "Guys I live for moments like these!!!... Jk, I live for Christ but I love this!! It's like knocking off the number one team in the country but it's our league, ya know?" It was a great day to be a Lady Jacket.

Friday we switched gears and started game planning to take down the other top team in the conference, Ursuline. We were all ready for this game. Everyone still had a bitter taste in their mouth from last season and we wanted redemption. Sadly, we would end falling just two points short.

Saturday everyone woke with the same mind set. It was game day and we were going to give Ursuline a run for their money. And we had to make sure we ran into the coaches office to shout Happy Birthday to one Mr. John Leonzo! The whole game shifted back and forth, we would go on a run and then Ursuline would have a run of their own. The game came down to the very last second. We had a chance to win the game in the final seconds but our attempt failed. We had lost to Ursuline again and we were crushed. As we sat in the locker room we came to a realization. Ursuline had been blowing teams out by 20 or 30 points and we had only lost by two. We had a chance to win and we’re getting better as a whole. One game wasn't going to define us, we have another shot at Ursuline and we won't let it slip away. We walked out of the locker room sad but also encouraged.

We have two games this week - the first falling on Wednesday. We will travel to Bluefield State and then Saturday we'll travel to Ohio Valley.

Side Note: Our third team birthday fell on Sunday and marked the birth of post Emily Williams! We have another birthday coming up on Tuesday and that lovely day belongs to the even more lovely Kaitlyn Holm, so if you see her tell her Happy Birthday!

Much love,

Jamie


January 16, 2017

Why hello there, welcome to the women's basketball blog! This past week was a little crazy but nothing we couldn't handle.

Monday was our last day of freedom so we spent it how any normal college students would...we cried about having to go to classes on Tuesday. A lot of us have early morning lectures and our excitement department was out of stock. Thankfully, everyone survived the syllabus shock and made it safely to practice.

Wednesday was the second round of classes and a whole lot of tears. Again, we survived but it was a close call. Once our school day ended we headed to the locker room for clips followed by practice in the gym. Unlike Tuesday, instead of scurrying off to the dorm to prepare for classes, we loaded up the bus and headed to West Virginia.

It was a long and rocky trip but we managed to arrive in one piece thanks to great music, nourishing food and Finn Hoffman's favorite movie (the 1965 version of Cinderella). The trip took a little longer than expected due to traffic. We were informed that there had been a terrible car crash. If you could pray for all who were involved and the boy who is in critical condition that would be greatly appreciated. I know this isn't basketball related but there is power in prayer and this family is in grave need.

Once at the hotel we got our room assignments and headed to bed (exciting, right?) The next day we woke up with big smiles on our faces and a joy that could not be contained. Why were we so happy? I'll give you a hint...it was game day! We walked through our scouting report, jetted off to Panera for our pre-game meal and strolled into Alderson Broaddus to pick up another conference win. It wasn't our prettiest game but a win is a win and we rolled with it.

After watching the men's game we drove to another hotel, this one being in Elkins, West Virginia. Friday was a very relaxed day. We had an early practice but nothing scheduled for the rest of the morning/afternoon. We used our free time to catch up on missed assignments, keep up with daily devotions and take naps of course. Around 4:30 p.m. we had Bible study with our fantastic student assistant, Katie. She is leading us through the book "Seated with Christ" and she is doing a bang up job!

That evening we took to the town and ate out with the men's team. We went to a lovely restaurant with some great Italian food... or so we thought. Gabe, who is a full blown Italian from the men's team, informed us that they were making their food all wrong and it was not up to Italian standards. I thought it was just dandy and thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my tortellini. After dinner everyone piled in the hotel lobby to play various card games and share lots of laughs. It's always enjoyable spending quality time with great people.

Saturday was not as great as Friday. We made our way to Davis & Elkins to play our second game of the week. We knew they were going to be a tough match up but no one thought we were going to lay an egg... but that's exactly what we did. We did not play as well as we could have and it cost us the game. We were constantly reminded of the phrase, "You can't get a game back." The harsh reality had hit us. We could never play D&E on January 14th, 2017 ever again. We couldn't go back and fix our mistakes. These wretched thoughts have fueled our fire to get better. So be prepared for some some rocking basketball in the near future!

This week we are preparing to take on Malone (Thursday) and Ursuline (Saturday) in the Callan Athletic Center.

I also want to leave you with this, if you can't find time in your day to spend with the Lord, you aren't trying hard enough. We make time for things that are important to us and I feel that quality time with God is pretty high up on the importance scale.

Have a great week y'all!


January 9, 2017

Hello faithful Jacket fans! This past week has been a roller coaster. We were busy with volunteering, movie nights and playing two great games.

Our craziness didn't really start until Tuesday after practice. Once we finished up in the gym we quickly changed into matching outfits and headed to Beavercreek. We had the opportunity to work with the 7th grade girls team from Dayton Christian. We taught them new drills, worked on fundamentals and played shooting games. Just in case you were wondering, yes, my team crushed it in the games and took home the fake gold medal. Overall we had a great time bonding with the middle schoolers over our love for basketball and for the Lord. I'm continually thankful to be part of a team filled with serving hearts.

Wednesday and Thursday morning consisted of game planning for our contest against Trevecca. If you weren't aware our coaching staff is extremely hardworking and also right 10/10. We matched their game plan goals to a "T" and came out with our first conference win! It was great to see the team play with such high energy and a passion for the game!

With that win some of us decided that a movie night was well deserved. We grabbed our blankets, made some hot chocolate, and gathered around a flat screen in the lounge of McKinney. Nothing will ever compare to the joy of being surrounded by people that love you unconditionally and make you spit your water half way across the room!

The next morning brought all new challenges. We were back in the gym working our tails off because Saturday we would face Kentucky Wesleyan. They are a very good team with a lot of spunk. We talked about key players for them and what they would run against us. More importantly, we focused on us. What were we going to do to make ourselves better? What were we going to do to come out on top?

Sadly, we fell in a close one to KWC. We started with great intensity and my girl Baylee Bennett dropped three 3's in the first quarter! We had our defensive breakdowns every once in a while but we did a great job shutting down their main scorer. We have Kaitlyn and Kelly to thank for that. Those two left everything on the court and gave us 110% at all times.

Even though we didn't come out with two wins, I'm still proud of my team. We are continually getting better and making massive strides with each game we play! This week we are headed to Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins for two more conference games. We plan on returning to Ohio Saturday night with two tallies in our win column!

Thanks for reading!


January 3, 2017

Ladies and Gents fasten your seatbelts because I have a whole lot of sharing to do! This past week consisted of two games, meeting Abby’s animals, Secret Santa, and so much more!

Tuesday was our first day back from Christmas break and our first practice of the week. It served as a running day to shed off all of the holiday cookies and a walk through for our Miami (OH) exhibition game the following day. That evening the Coe family welcomed us into their home and grilled out for us. After we stuffed our faces with hamburgers and bratwursts we had a gingerbread house competition. We were split into four teams and had a time limit of 30 minutes. Some houses were better than others but that didn’t really mean a lot to us because it was more about bonding and spending quality time together than constructing the best house.

The following morning, we got up and headed to the gym for a shoot-around and to go back over the scouting report for the contest that night. After leaving the gym we gathered our things, including our Secret Santa gifts, and headed to the Wolford’s house. Abby gave us the grand tour of her home, which included meeting all of her wonderful farm animals. We met JoJo her awesome horse, Giselle the nice goat, various chickens and Edward…the goat that would ram you with his horns and made Coach Hoffman screech like a little girl.

Once we finished outside we gathered in the living room and started the gift exchange. To get your gift you had to guess who drew your name. Needless to say, this took quite some time. Throughout the whole process of Secret Santa I learned how thoughtful my teammates are. Each gift that was given wasn’t just thrown together but carefully selected according to what their person liked or really wanted. There were happy hearts all around the room and wide smiles to prove it.

Shortly after, we got in the competitive spirit and started games. I was at the Euchre table where I learned that Cameron is very high-strung and overly sneaky when it comes to card games. The girl cannot be trusted, unless she’s on your team. I also learned that Coach Leonzo is terrible at shuffling cards. When games started wrapping up we headed to the kitchen and enjoyed an amazing meal prepared for us by the lovely Mrs. Wolford. When everyone was finished eating we gathered our things and made the drive to Miami where played a very good game but ended up falling short in the points column.

After our loss, we regrouped and starting preparing for Friday when we would play Wayne State. The team woke up early Thursday morning and headed to Michigan. I stayed behind for a few hours and went to a doctor’s appointment where I found out that I could start playing again (thank you for all the prayers and well wishes!) I drove up later with our athletic trainer Becca Stokes and student trainer Shelby Johnson. If you do not know these two people you are missing out on a whole lot of laughter. We arrived about two hours after the team but met up with them for practice.

Once again, we were graced with a home cooked meal when Mr. and Mrs. Watterworth opened up their home and invited us over. We played countless games of ping pong and learned how to play four on a couch. For anyone that was curious, yes Coach Hoffman and Coach Buettell kicked our cans at ping pong…who even likes doubles ping pong anyway?

Friday morning, we game planned and had a devotional lead by Jordan Sok. The words she spoke rang true and convicted everyone that heard them. We often think that God is furious with us and that we will never be good enough for Him. She reminded us that God is not out to condemn us but is there to convict us. We sometimes treat the Lord as someone who will reprimand us when we slip up than someone who loves us unconditionally and is by our side helping us to move away from our mistakes and closer to Him. At the conclusion of devo’s we loaded the bus and headed to the game.

Wayne State was a game where things went very right and quickly went very wrong. The first half we played well and kept the game tight but the second half all the wheels fell off. We dug ourselves a hole early and never recovered. This led to a long bus ride home and a day of film breakdown on Saturday. It was hard to watch our mistakes but also very beneficial.

That afternoon we packed an overnight bag and made the trip to the DeFilippo’s to watch the Buckeyes (no comment about their performance) and celebrate the New Year! Our night consisted of great food, many laughs, tons of pictures and lots of love. I truly belong to the best team in the world. I hope everyone’s New Year started off just as wonderful as ours did!

This week begins a huge journey for us because it is the start of conference play! We have two games this week which are both home! We play Thursday, Jan. 5th at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 7th at 2:00 p.m. We play Trevecca and Kentucky Wesleyan - and both games will be followed by the men’s team.


December 19, 2016

Well it has been one heck of a week for your CU women's basketball team! I am proud to say that we pulled off two great wins, one of which was our first road victory!Even though we nabbed two wins, this week was no cake walk. Not only did have to play two good teams, we also had to survive finals...Finals week is probably the worst week in the entire world of college. Thankfully everyone made it out alive and there is a lot of Netflix and movie watching in our future!

Tuesday night we traveled to the land of the Knights and proved to be a worthy opponent. We got the tip and never looked back. At the end of the half our team lead by 20. This gap helped tremendously in the second half when Urbana found their groove. It was a hard-fought fourth quarter but we came out on top.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty routine practice days and really nothing special. Friday, however, was a whole different story. We had a great practice and a wonderful Bible study lead by our very own student assistant, Katie Carmichael. We are so thankful to have such an amazing person in our lives to help us grow spiritually.
 

Bible study wasn't the only grand thing that happened though...Coach Bob and his wonderful wife invited us into their lovely home for a fantastic home-cooked meal. We had the world's best lasagna, award winning garlic bread, a kickin' side salad, and a banana split ice cream cake that knocked our socks off! There were also tons of games for us to play. They fired up the Wii, dusted off the ping pong table, and sharpened the darts... there was also a machine that when stood upon would jiggle your whole entire body at a rapid rate, so that was pretty cool!

Saturday, we woke up ready to take on MVNU. We had a very slow start but Taylor Buckley came off the bench and sparked us with her incredible rebounding skills. For those of you that didn't know she had 20 rebounds, 14 of which happened in the first half. She's a beast!!!! We ended up playing much better the second half and showed Mount Vernon we meant business. I'm so proud of the way my girls rallied together and fought until the very end.

After the game, we all went our separate ways and are now home for the holidays with our families. I'm so thankful to be a part of a basketball program that allowed us to have nine beautiful days off to spend with our loved ones! Yes, it's the holiday season but please remember The Reason. Christ was born unto us and later would die for our sins. We would not have the lives that we do without our wonderful Savior. Have a Merry Christmas from our family to you!


December 12, 2016

Greetings Ladies and Gents, I hope your week has treated you well! Your Lady Jackets had a very extensive week that did not pan out the way anyone wanted it to.

Monday practice was like any other Monday. It was tough and was aimed to keep us in shape and work on things we didn't do so well in the previous game. Tuesday was unlike any other, we had the day off! Days off are extremely rare and are not taken lightly here. Days off are like having Thanksgiving, Christmas, your birthday, and Summer break at the same time. If you didn't catch on, these days are real awesome!

Wednesday, we were back on the grind and prepping for UIndy. It was a whirlwind of a practice but ended on a very good note. Thursday consisted of defensive prep work and making our ball movement more crisp on the offensive end. Our team looked sharp and our mental focus was at an all-time high.

Friday was our last day to prepare and fix all the bugs before Indianapolis would stroll into Callan. We drilled defense and put a lot of energy into stopping their key players. The girls worked their tails off knowing when to go under or over screens, when to hedge or switch, and helping in gaps to stop drives. I was very encouraged with the level of precision and focus my team displayed.

Saturday morning was a time for shooting and getting in the right mind set. My spirits were high to start but raised when we couldn't miss a shot in our shooting drills. I was expecting us to have one of the best shooting games ever... unfortunately that didn't happen.

At the end of shoot-around the wonderful Abby Wolford stops everyone from leaving and tells us she has a great way to get people at our game. Long story short we ended up sprawling out on the floor and forming "3:00" with our squad. We posted the picture on various social media sites, each with our own clever captions, in hopes we would attract some fans with our creativity. If you didn't see it, here is our attempt at advertising...
 
At 3:00 the game began and we did have a slightly larger crowd than usual... maybe we should advertise more often...

The game did not go how we wanted. We shot a season low of 22% and missed a whole bunch of lay-ups. A tally mark was added to the dark side. Yes, we did in fact lose but it wasn't all bad! We had a season low of nine turnovers and held a very talented team to 58 points. Am I bummed about taking a loss, yes, but I am also very encouraged. We are starting to take care of the ball and lock down on defense. I'm predicting two wins for this Jacket Squad in this week!

We have two contests coming up. The first will take place on Tuesday, December 13th at Urbana University at 6:30 p.m. and the second on Saturday, the 17th right here in Callan verses Mount Vernon Nazarene at 2:00 p.m.

Thanks for reading!


December 5, 2016

Hey there faithful fans, I hope your week was just as fantastic as ours was! Your Lady Jackets racked up two more wins!

Our week started out a little differently since we had just come off of Thanksgiving break. We arrived on campus Monday afternoon and had a very intense practice. It was a day constructed to test our mental toughness and physical endurance. I am proud to say that my girls stepped up to the challenge and crushed that practice. From countless sprints to energy zapping drills, our team stuck together and pushed through.

The next two days were a little lighter but still rough. We had just come from having a whole week off so we needed to be pushed. I think I speak for everyone though when I say Thursday didn't come soon enough. Practice is great and all but we love game days!

Thursday we welcomed Ohio Christian into Callan and used everything in our tanks to come out on top. This game was a series of mental/physical breakthroughs and breakdowns. We had countless turnovers and missed routine baskets throughout the entire contest. Thankfully, our team banned together and finished strong in the second overtime of the contest. It would have been easy for us to give up but we didn't. We rose to the occasion and got the job done. It may not have been pretty but a win is a win.

I was told Friday consisted of working on decision making when passing and seeing our passes through to avoid turnovers in our future games. I was not there due to knee surgery. I would like to thank you for your prayers and let you know that the surgery went smoothly and I'm recovering quite well.

Saturday the girls got up and volunteered their time serving food and making peoples' day a little brighter. I was also told that they got to work along with Santa and our very own Assistant Coach John Leonzo took a turn on Saint Nick's lap and made his Christmas wish list known. I am very thankful to be a part of a very selfless team.

Later that evening, the team traded in their serving spoons for fitted uniforms and tightly laced ball shoes. I am very thankful for livestream because I was able to watch my team absolutely dominate. This game was magical in so many ways. Our team ended with a season-low 14 turnovers, multiple players were in double digits, and everyone played with a joy that hasn't been present in previous games.

I look forward to returning to campus on Tuesday and preparing for our next game this Saturday - home versus Indianapolis at 3 p.m.!

Thanks for reading!


November 28, 2016

Hello again friends, family, and faithful fans!

This past week was pretty laid back for your women's basketball team.

Tuesday night we took on Central State and nabbed our second victory of the season. It was a roller coaster game with many twists, turns, ups, and downs. In the end, we hunkered down on defense and got the job done. One thing I can never say about my team is, "we gave up at the end and that's why we lost." Every single person on our team fought hard to the very end of the game and that's why we won.

After our game and the men's game concluded we all went home for the longest Thanksgiving break a Cedarville women's basketball team has ever had! We all are extremely grateful to have a coaching staff that provided us with so much time to spend with our families this Thanksgiving. Some of the team went out and found the perfect tree for the families living room while others, myself included, have not even started thinking about decorating for Christmas.

Break wasn't all fun and games though. As an athlete, you still have plenty of workouts to keep you in shape. By far the worst thing we had to do was run two miles. Now, two miles really isn't that bad but I have a mild dislike/hate relationship with running. Other than running we had to lift and get in the gym to put shots up. Overall, I'd say the Lady Jackets had a splendid time over the "break".

We are currently back on campus and already prepping for our upcoming games this week. We will play Dec. 1st and 3rd, both games starting at 5:30 p.m., at home in the Callan Athletic Center.

Prayer Requests:

Emily Williams lost her grandmother over the weekend and I would like to ask for prayers for her family as they mourn their loss and prep for the funereal.

Friday morning, I will be in Dayton for knee surgery. If you could pray for me that would be much appreciated.

Have a wonderful week!


November 21, 2016

This past week we were scheduled to battle against Tiffin and Cincinnati Christian while our teammate, leader, and family member, Abby Wolford, was scheduled to take on surgery. Abby made it through surgery wonderfully and the doctor was able to repair her ACL and both menisci. Thank you to all who kept Abby in their prayers and I would ask that you would continue to pray for her and the long road to recovery she is about to embark on.

Thursday afternoon we left the quaint town of Cedarville and headed to slay some Dragons. Sadly, we fell short and ended up losing 70-63. It was a hard-fought battle and we learned a lot about ourselves. Our team still has many obstacles to overcome but that game provided us with a new swagger. We walked out of Tiffin's gym with a toughness we didn't have before and a confidence that would carry over into our next game.

Saturday, we finally had our first home game! As much as hopping on a charter bus and traveling 2 hours the last two weeks, it was a nice change of pace to not travel and play on our own court. It was also a splendid change of pace winning, that's right, I said winning, our first game of the season. We took on Cincinnati Christian and showed how good we could really be (minus a few fouls of course). Regina led the way with a career-high 23 points...dang girl, that's impressive. Baylee added 20 points while going 6-for-10 from behind the arch (I told you she gets mad buckets). We ended up winning the game 81-62.

Now, you're probably wondering, how can this team go from barely scoring and losing the last three games to winning and netting 81 points in their fourth game? I'm glad you asked because I just happen to have a theory. You see, before every game we get in a circle and rap. Each of us has our very own part that the upperclassmen make for the newbies every year. The first three games our upperclassmen did not have the new raps ready and the newbies were pretty much left out. It wasn't until Saturday (day of wining and many points) that the raps were complete and the newcomers got to learn them and partake fully in our circle... Coincidence?... I think not!

Our next contest is also home and we will be taking on Central State Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.!

Thanks for reading!


November 15, 2016

Toughness - to some this is just a word but to our team it is what we must possess and show on the court. Our opening weekend did not go as we had hoped. We lost two games to two very good teams.

Thursday afternoon we loaded up into a very large van and an SUV... I have never been so close to my teammates...Our drive to Ashland consisted of very long naps and a wide variety of music genres being blared through the aux cord. Like always, Bre was our DJ for the entire trip. Along with playing some pretty fire tunes, Bre had brought up some interesting topics for conversation. My personal favorite was when she asked about the Yahtzee's from Germany during the Ccivil War. For all you history buffs, you'll know she actually meant the Nazi's from Germany during WWI. So, that was fun...

Friday and Saturday, we played Ashland and Ohio Dominican. The games did not go as planned and we suffered two losses. Our team is still trying to find our identity and in the grand scheme of things these games won't matter. However, they do serve as great teaching points. This week we are going to build off our mistakes and prepare for our upcoming games. We will travel to Tiffin on Thursday and then we will take on Cincinnati Christian right here in Cedarville on Saturday! Hooray for home games!

For the rest of our season the bar for our success is still set very high. In the words of Dunder Mifflin's Regional Manager, Michael Scott, "The only time I set the bar low is for limbo." You can expect your Lady Jackets to bounce back and put tallies up in the win column real soon!

Thanks for reading!


November 10, 2016

Hello Lady Jackets fans, it's that time of year again! My name is Jamie Dodane: sophomore, guard, broadcasting major, and self-proclaimed joke master of the women's team. I look forward to filling you in on all things collegiate women's basketball that you won't get anywhere else. This blog will be an inside look at your very own Lady Jackets!

I would first like to thank Taylor Vander Plas for her great blog service last year. She has graduated and left her keyboard for her very own roommate to pick up. I can only hope to bring you the 411 as passionately as she did. Thanks for your service T Dawg!

This season we have six-ish new faces, two freshmen, two transfers, a new head and assistant coach. The freshman class consists of an Anna DeFilippo and a Cameron Peek. Anna was brought to us from the small town of St. Clairsville in Ohio. Anna is always up for a game of ping pong (literally, ping pong all the time) and she's the happiest person you will ever meet. Cameron hails from Caledonia, Michigan (we have let the whole she's from Michigan thing go solely because she is NOT a Wolverine fan). Cam is full of spunk and is probably the most grown up freshman I have ever encountered.

Our transfers are both joining the sophomore class. Our first transfer is Baylee Bennett. She is coming to us from Cincinnati Christian University but is originally from Springfield. Ohio. Baylee is not only my teammate, she is also my roommate and best friend! I was pumped when I found out I would get the chance to play with her again (previous AAU teammates). Bay is a spit fire with a knack for dropping dimes... For those who don't know what that means, Baylee gets mad buckets. Our second transfer is Kelly Poole. She is actually joining us from our very own JV squad. Kelly is from Massachusetts and definitely has an accent. She is wicked fast and has the best one liners.

Our new head coach is actually our old assistant coach (she is the "-ish" in six-ish)! Coach Hoffman has gracefully taken over our team and is propelling us in a brand new direction. She is definitely the most competitive person of all time. She may or may not have shoved numerous people out of her way in Spike Ball on our retreat...Our assistant coach is Cedarville graduate John Leonzo. He is a clip master and has a basketball I.Q. of one bazillion.

All of these wonderful people bring their own unique skills and personalities and have greatly improved our squad. Cheers to new additions!

All this being said, our team is stoked for the long season ahead and we plan on bringing you total G-MAC domination. We have pushed our way through preseason, laughed through our team retreat, and are now looking forward to our first official games this weekend! We will be playing in an opening tournament at Ashland University. I think I speak for the whole team when I say we are tired of playing against the same people day in and day out. We will play Ashland Friday at 11:00 a.m. and we battle Ohio Dominican on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

Sadly, we will be starting and finishing our season without Abby Wolford on the court. Abby recently tore her ACL and both meniscuses in a scrimmage early last week. This is something that would tear a normal person to shreds and send them down a path of sadness...but Abby is not normal! She has taken all this with a grain of salt and is the team's biggest sideline encourager and has taken on a coaching role for us. Much love for you B!

Thanks for following the Lady Jackets!

Stay classy Cedarville,

Jamie


Jamie Dodane is a 5-foot-7 sophomore guard from Mechanicsburg, Ohio. She is in her second season with the Lady Jackets and is majoring in broadcasting and digital media.