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SMYRNA, Del. —
The girls basketball team at Smyrna Middle School got off to a slow start this season with a record of 1-4 in the first few weeks. However, first-year head coach Dayra Diamond hopes Thursday’s 29-27 win over Dover Central Middle School will boost the team’s confidence for the rest of the season.
The Smyrna Middle School basketball team came from behind in Thursday’s win over Central Middle that was a battle until the end for the two rivals.
Smyrna improved to 2-4 on the season while Central Middle fell to 2-3.
“We’re a good team but we tend to shoot ourselves in the foot,” Diamond said. “We’re a decent team.”
Last year, the girls basketball team finished 9-1 with their lone loss coming against Central Middle School. This was a facet, Diamond didn’t realize until after Thursday’s win but she feels it may have pushed the girls to play harder.
Diamond was an assistant coach last year.
“I think it did make a difference. I didn’t realize that was our one loss last year until the girls said ‘They beat us here last year.’ So I hope it’s a confidence booster for them,” she said.
There area a few things the team needs to improve on to perform well the rest of the season such as their tendency to miss free throws often. The team, which returned five eight graders this year, needs to be more vocal on the court. Diamond also said that when the team gets down, they continue to be down.
“We have several leaders but they’re quiet leaders. Last year there were a couple of girls that would shout and scream on the court to get girls going,” Diamond said.
Something the team does well is work hard. “The one thing I can say is they work hard,” Diamond said.
With half the season still left to play, Diamond thinks it’s going to be a good year for girls basketball at Smyrna Middle School. The season will end on Tuesday, Feb. 7 with a rivalry game at Providence Creek Academy.
“I think we just need to put the ball in the basket. We get all the opportunities to win but we lack putting the ball in the basket,” Diamond said. “It should be a good year.”
Email Jennifer Dailey at jennifer.dailey@doverpost.com.
The girls basketball team at Smyrna Middle School got off to a slow start this season with a record of 1-4 in the first few weeks. However, first-year head coach Dayra Diamond hopes Thursday’s 29-27 win over Dover Central Middle School will boost the team’s confidence for the rest of the season.
The Smyrna Middle School basketball team came from behind in Thursday’s win over Central Middle that was a battle until the end for the two rivals.
Smyrna improved to 2-4 on the season while Central Middle fell to 2-3.
“We’re a good team but we tend to shoot ourselves in the foot,” Diamond said. “We’re a decent team.”
Last year, the girls basketball team finished 9-1 with their lone loss coming against Central Middle School. This was a facet, Diamond didn’t realize until after Thursday’s win but she feels it may have pushed the girls to play harder.
Diamond was an assistant coach last year.
“I think it did make a difference. I didn’t realize that was our one loss last year until the girls said ‘They beat us here last year.’ So I hope it’s a confidence booster for them,” she said.
There area a few things the team needs to improve on to perform well the rest of the season such as their tendency to miss free throws often. The team, which returned five eight graders this year, needs to be more vocal on the court. Diamond also said that when the team gets down, they continue to be down.
“We have several leaders but they’re quiet leaders. Last year there were a couple of girls that would shout and scream on the court to get girls going,” Diamond said.
Something the team does well is work hard. “The one thing I can say is they work hard,” Diamond said.
With half the season still left to play, Diamond thinks it’s going to be a good year for girls basketball at Smyrna Middle School. The season will end on Tuesday, Feb. 7 with a rivalry game at Providence Creek Academy.
“I think we just need to put the ball in the basket. We get all the opportunities to win but we lack putting the ball in the basket,” Diamond said. “It should be a good year.”
Email Jennifer Dailey at jennifer.dailey@doverpost.com.
