He calls them “no names” but he means it in the best way possible.
Barrington High School girls basketball coach Stephen Lenz said his team features a roster of hard-working, …
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He calls them “no names” but he means it in the best way possible.
Barrington High School girls basketball coach Stephen Lenz said his team features a roster of hard-working, determined athletes whose shortcomings may be limited to name recognition.
“I always call them the no-names. No one knows any of their names,” he said.
But that may not be the case for long. The Eagles have powered to a 5-2 record against Division I competition so far this season.
Last week, Barrington defeated Cranston West 43-30 and then traveled to Providence and defeated LaSalle, 49-36.
The Eagles use an aggressive, pressing defense to limit their opponents’ scoring chances and bolster their own offensive possessions. Lenz said his team needs to rely on its defense because it does not have a lot of height. He said his team is basically five guards.
“We’re a very good defensive team,” Lenz said, during an interview with the Barrington Times late last week. “We press. That’s what we need to do to score.”
And scoring was a big question for the Eagles entering the season. Lenz said Barrington averaged about 54 points per game last year.
“We graduated 48 points,” he said.
A number of players have filled the gap left by graduation.
Lenz said Riley Graveline, Olivia Morrissette, Maggie Ornstedt and Ella Martin have made key contributions to the Eagles, as have Lauren Kilpatrick and Faith Van Ness, Ava Morrissette, McKenna Pires, Ellie Donato and others.
Graveline and Olivia Morrissette are captains for this year’s team, and both finished in double digits in the scoring column in the Eagles’ win against Cranston West. Graveline scored 13 points and Morrissette had 10. Ornstedt added 12 points in the victory over the Falcons.
Martin led the way in the Eagles’ win over LaSalle. The Barrington High School freshman knocked down four three-pointers and finished with 17 points.
Lenz said Martin plays the point guard position and has a very high basketball IQ.
“She wants to learn. She wants to play at the next level,” Lenz said. “The other team has to worry about her.”
Cranston West played a box-and-one defense in an effort to slow down Martin.
Lenz said was not sure which one of his “no name” players was going to step up this season. He has discovered that just about every Eagle on the roster is ready, willing and able to carry the team to victory.
“This is a fun team to coach,” Lenz said. “They work really hard. They’re scrappy.”
Lenz said his team’s goal is to be one of the top-12 teams in the state this year and earn a spot in the open tournament.
Holiday tournament
The Eagles are 5-5 overall — the local team lost three games at a holiday tournament in New Hampshire. Lenz said the tournament offered a good experience for his team, as they faced off against some very talented New Hampshire teams in front of dozens of college coaches.
The Eagles battled one of the top teams in New Hampshire, Bedford, N.H., and nearly pulled off the upset.