Waconia girls' basketball coach Carl Pierson looked at his roster and decided that, lacking height, a different strategy was in order. So Pierson decided to play to his team's strengths, which are athleticism and quickness.
"We are 'vertically challenged,' so we decided to press, trap, and shoot threes all game," Pierson wrote in an e-mail. "We have a goal of getting a shot off in 10 seconds or less and making our opponent do the same."
Through two games, it paid off richly for the Wildcats, who won twice at the Hamline Invitational. They defeated St. Anthony 111-104, setting a state record for combined points in a single game, and Providence Academy 91-68.
"It's like nothing I've done in 20 previous years of coaching," Pierson wrote, 'but I have to say it fits our kids really well and it's a ton of fun!"
Here are some other west-metro girls' basketball stories to keep an eye on this season:
Top Teams
Class 4A
• Hopkins: Can the Royals make it four consecutive state titles? Losses to graduation were heavy, but there is always talent waiting in the wings. They add Jasmyn Martin, a 6-2 freshman transfer from Bloomington Kennedy.
• Bloomington Kennedy: No Martin this year but the guard tandem of Tonoia Wade and Kenisha Bell is the metro's best.
• Chaska: The Hawks' transition pains moving back up to Class 4A will be lessened by a veteran lineup led by Ellie Thompson and Kendall Baab.
