ALVA, Okla. – Tuesday marked another chance for the Alva Quarterback Club to have some time to visit hear from the local coaches. Alva boys coach Shane Feeley was the first to speak at the weekly meeting, followed by Northwestern women’s coach Tasha Diesselhorst and men’s head man Shawn Dirden.
All three coaches recapped their teams action in the previous week, and gave a brief preview of the week ahead.
Feely on the Goldbugs
Coach Feely talked about the Bugs action at Newkirk on Jan. 11, and at Blackwell two days later. The Bugs rolled over the Tigers in the first game, 73-37.
“We played pretty well, especially in the second half,” Feely said addressing the Newkirk game. “A lot of kids got playing time, especially our JV kids.”
It was a different story for the Bugs against Blackwell. Trailing much of the second half, the Bugs battled back to tie the game in the fourth. However, turnovers and miscues in the final minute cost the Bugs in a 50-45 loss to the Maroons.
“We kind of got off to a slow start and put ourselves behind the eight ball for the major of that game. We came back and played well in the second half and played hard. We are looking at that as an opportunity to learn and figure out what we need to improve on.”
Feely said he was looking forward to the week’s action at the Cashion County Line Tournament. “We will go to the Cashion tournament and see a lot of really good competition, and another opportunity for us to grow and learn.”
Diesselhorst on Tough Stretch
It’s never easy for small college basketball teams to play two games in three days, but the Northwestern teams faced their first of two scheduled stretches of three games in five days. Or as coach Diesselhorst called it, “a long week.”
The Lady Rangers dropped the first game of the week to Southern Nazarene, 76-54, last Thursday night at home. “It was a tough matchup for us,” comment Deisselhorst. “We struggled getting into a rhythm offensively.”
However, the NWOSU women answered on Saturday with a 91-82 comeback against Oklahoma Baptist.
“We did a great job on both ends of the floor and battled back from some adversity being down late in the third and into the fourth. I was very proud of the girls and their effort and how they responded to the loss on Thursday and getting a win at home.”
After two hard fought games over the weekend, the women were tasked with facing rival and No. 17 ranked Southwestern Oklahoma State on the road. The game was back and forth much of the contest before the Lady Dawgs pulled away in the fourth.
Freshman Kinsey Neiderer, who had been struggling of late, broke out of her slump with 18 points, including four three-pointers. “It was good to see her get going and we hope that continues into the rest of this week.”
“The girls battled the whole game and we look forward to having another shot with Southwestern at home in a couple of weeks.”
Dirden Talks Team Play, Defense
The Ranger men also suffered a setback on the road against then No. 21 SNU last Thursday, 82-73.
“We didn’t get the 40-minute performance we were looking for, and SNU played outstanding,” mentioned Dirden. “We did have some good individual performances, but ultimately our goal was to get out of there with a road victory.”
However, Dirden was pleased the with the learning experience his team gained. “We definitely left there with a better feel for them and look forward to them coming to Perceful down the road.”
On Saturday, the Rangers had to face one of the best point guards in the region in OBU’s Chandler Rickey. Dirden and staff used the opportunity to challenge his defense.
“It was a great challenge to the guys, and over 40 minutes, we met that challenge. One of the things we live by is body blows by our defense, so we aren’t just swinging for the head. We are just trying to be more tactical and trying to wear teams down. I thought we did a good job with OBU in that respect.”
The final game of the week for the Rangers was a rivalry game against Southwestern Oklahoma State. While the Dawgs are down this season, coach Dirden knew you can “throw the records out the window” in a rivalry contest.
The Rangers gave up an early 17-point lead in the first half before pulling out a two-point win in the end, 82-80.
“I’m happy to say we won by two points. Like I told the guys, a one-point victory is a blowout, especially in that environment,” joked Dirden.
“It was a team effort. We know there is definitely a lot we need to work on and continue to grow and mature.
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