After defeating Centralia High School, 68-37, on Nov. 27 to start off the season, Yelm High School’s girls basketball team ran into a two-game losing skid. Despite the two losses, head coach Jennifer Sleeman remains confident in her team’s ability to win South Sound Conference games.
The Gig Harbor Tides defeated the Tornados, 58-40, on Dec. 6, and Yelm lost on the road to the Timberline Blazers, 83-53, on Dec. 8. Sleeman said it’s just a matter of time and reps on the court before her athletes begin to click.
“I don’t think the end score is representative of how we played those games. There were too many peaks and valleys in that stretch,” Sleeman said. “I believe in my team. We’re trying to figure out where everybody fits and how to be consistent in that.”
Sleeman added the team is aiming to be consistent in each quarter, stating she wants to go from winning quarters to winning games.
“Confidence is built in repetition, and I think we’re trying to get better in that and that we are prepared and ready,” Sleeman said. “With adding people that missed an entire year, it’s just going to take a little time to build muscle memory again. I think we’re still trying to decide what everyone's role is and how to be consistent in that.”
Sleeman added the Tornados have played “quarter to quarter,” where they’ll win an eight-minute stretch before flipping the switch and trail the next. She noted that Lilli Williams and Henley Sherman have stood out early in the season, and Kamille Kautz, Maria Casihan and Jayde Connally have performed well. For the coach, it’s just a matter of time before the team starts believing in itself and playing consistently.
“We’re not a one-trick pony. All of us eat,” Sleeman said. “Jayde Connally was the only one who scored in the third quarter against Timberline. It was a bad quarter for the team, but she’s a senior, and she stepped up in a big way.”
In basketball, Sleeman said all of the rhythm in the game is in timing, and that the team will master the timing and rhythm sooner than later. She described the team as an exciting crew to watch, adding it will only get better.
“We have two home games. We’re trying to get people hyped up to come out to our games,” Sleeman said. “We’re trying to put them in good situations so they can get up, believe in it and stay in it. [We] gotta get rid of the peaks and valleys. It needs to be a constant climb.”
Up next for Yelm, the girls hosted Peninsula High School Wednesday, but results were not available before press time. They next play Capital High School on Friday, Dec. 15. They’ll return home to host non-conference opponent North Kitsap at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18.
