Cosmo Girls’ Season Ends with Tough Playoff Loss

In what has been an up-and-down season for the 2009-2010 Springfield girl’s basketball team, last week’s firstround playoff loss highlighted both the team’s progression and, unfortunately, limitations.

http://www.vermontjournal.com/news/2010-02-24/Sports/Cosmo_Girls_Season_Ends_with_Tough_Playoff_Loss.html # # # # Cosmo Girls’ Season Ends with Tough Playoff Loss • SPRINGFIELD -In what has been an up-and-down season for the 2009-2010 Springfield girl’s basketball team, last week’s firstround playoff loss highlighted both the team’s progression and, unfortunately, limitations. The Cosmos entered the Marble Valley League Division II playoffs with a 4-15 record, having won two of their last four games with wins against Woodstock (45-39) two weeks ago and against Bellows Falls (38-27) to close the regular season. Despite Springfield’s recent winning trend, Mount Abraham proved too much, topping the Cosmos 64-22. • The Cosmos opened the game nervously, allowing Mount Abe jump out early and take an eventually insurmountable 31- 13 halftime lead. Noted coach Brodie Ladue, “Our nerves took over for too long to start the game, and unfortunately it was too late to battle back when we started settling in.” • The Eagles defense didn’t make a Cosmos comeback easy. A previously in-sync Springfield offense was stymied by Mount Abe’s defensive press, which did not allow a Cosmos to reach double digits. Kayla Perham and Taylor Thomas led Springfield with eight and seven points, respectively. Likewise, despite playing thirty-two minutes of gritty basketball, the Cosmos defense never found itself, and allowed the Eagles to top thirty points in each half. • While her team’s 2009- 2010 season ended with a tough playoff loss, Ladue is optimistic about the Cosmos’s future. “The girls made a lot of significant steps towards making the program what I am hoping for,” reflected Ladue. And certainly, the Cosmos 4-16 record does not reflect many of the team’s improvements, mostly centered on learning a new coaching system and program dynamic. Ladue, closing her first year with the Cosmos, reflected, “the girls coming back next year now know the expectations of their coaches and where we all are heading with the program.” Such familiarity and mutual expectations, when matched with the confidence built through a hard-fought season and a large returning contingency, should bode well for Cosmos seasons to come. •