Melrose Lady Raiders Basketball

Losing has always been as big a part of basketball as winning. Losses can occur for many reasons, illness and injury, bad shooting day, talent imbalances, size and athleticism differences, coaching, officiating and so on. And no Melrose team during the past eleven years completed an entire season undefeated. 

I'm fond of the saying, "defense and rebounding win games; offense determines the margin." So with 20 percent of the season complete, can we analyze where the wheels have come off the wagon? 

Melrose 43  Belmont 32

Melrose 39  Burlington 30

Melrose 31  Woburn 47

Melrose 18  Reading 60

Offense: 

Melrose has always scored a significant number of points in transition off steals and solid man-to-man defense. During the past three games, they have struggled to get much going with the fast break. Unless any team is a great shooting team, they must score by getting easier shots, which is accomplished by better passing. Getting off to a good start helps teams develop confidence, and during the past three games, the Lady Raiders have scored 13, 13, and 10 points in the first half. "Confidence breeds success; success breeds confidence." 

Many Melrose teams have had players with strong inside games with 'go to' or signature moves. We discussed before the season that absent those types of players, the half court offense could struggle. Some teams have scouted the Melrose offense to the point where they are successfully overplaying it, and good offense adjusts to pressure defense using 1) back door cuts and 2) screens away from the ball. 

Can Melrose create more offense in transition and capitalize on opponents' over aggressiveness to the base offense?

You can't score without shots; the more good shots the better. Melrose hasn't been able to get into the lane regularly, and has to reduce the number of turnovers. 

The keys to getting transition baskets start with maximizing defensive rebounding and getting the outlet pass. The key to stopping it involves winning the battles on the boards and getting back on defense. 

Defense:

Great individual defense starts with preventing 'separation'. Successful team defense similarly involves limiting open shots and mismatches, often created through 1) screens, 2) ball movement, and 3) player movement without the ball. Last night Reading had at least ten uncontested layups in transition. Part of the credit for that goes to Reading, and part of the responsibility lies with Melrose's team defense for an inability to get back defensively. 

Even with the problems encountered in transition, Reading had a huge advantage in rebounding, at the intersection of size, strength, and aggressiveness. Coaches have little control over size, and weight training has become an integral part of women's sports. Effective offensive rebounding simply creates an overwhelming number of possessions and because offensive efficiency (points per possession) is usually limited in high school basketball, maximizing the number of possessions can be critical. 

Situational Basketball:

In close games, teams have to execute 'specialty plays' (for example inbounds plays), make a high percentage of free throws, and use the clock well (with four periods, each end of period offers a potential six point swing). Getting a good shot at the right time adds up. 

Coaching: Coach Rob Ferrante earned Division II Coach of the Year honors last season for shepherding an experienced (nine seniors graduated) team to a Division II North title. The coaches see practice and make the best personnel, style of play choices, and decision-making based on what they see. "Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes the tuition is high." 

Community Support:

Melrose fans have always shown great appreciation for the quality, effort, and success that the basketball team has displayed. The players and coaching staff have a chance to turn the season around by continuing to work hard, and concentrating on the areas (transition defense, rebounding, limiting turnovers and decision-making) that need improvement. With eighty percent of the schedule remaining, the team has its destiny on its shoulders. The coaches and players have a lot of opportunity to determine their identity.