DANVILLE – Replacing five seniors is difficult in the best of circumstances. The year 2020 has not been the best of circumstances for anybody.
Still, the Danville girls basketball team has found a way to remain undefeated after a 56-41 victory over Highland in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 16 in Danville.
By no means has it been a smooth journey. The Blue Devils (6-0, 4-0) are starting to get back to full strength after a two-week isolation because of COVID-19 contact tracing.
"We've had some girls that have been quarantined three times," Danville coach Matt Proper said. "A lot of the focus is basic stuff — just trying to maintain some of the basic fundamentals how you play the game, along with conditioning."
The learning experience out of all of this has been a simple one for Proper.
"I just tell the girls to enjoy this," he said. "At this point — every game — take it as a blessing; have fun with it, enjoy it. If you get another game, you get another game. If you don't, at least you enjoyed every game you've had. It's a different mentality for sure."
Danville has had a lot of different players step up in the early going; with Brooklyn Hess, Alenah Boeshart and Ella Proper handling the primary scoring duties.
Against Highland, it was Camie Newbold who filled that role with 16 points and nine rebounds — a big performance for the post player considering the size of the Scots.
"Camie did a great job tonight; she really crashed the boards," Coach Proper said. "They really have some talls that did a great job and were productive, and she didn’t back down at all."
Boeshart scored 17 points in the Devils' first game back, a 45-36 win over Northmor on Dec. 12. But it was Hess who led the way with 10 points in a 36-35 win over Centerburg on Dec. 14, with Boeshart and Proper adding nine apiece.
"That's the toughest team to scout against and coach against because who are you going to stop?" Proper said. "It's also fun to play on that type of team where if you play hard and you work hard, the team is going to reward you for that. You're gonna get your shots and you're gonna get your chances."
The roster size went from eight players with four freshmen against the Golden Knights to the almost full complement of 11 players against the Trojans.
"We're getting back; we were only down one," Proper said. "Conditions were iffy at best, but they're giving it their all. I appreciate their effort. Some of them haven't played in two weeks, and I put (them in) and (they) contributed. I appreciate it; it takes a lot of courage for doing that.”
Ella Proper scored 13 points, and Hess and Boeshart each had 10 points against Highland. Proper and Hess tallied five steals apiece, and Hess added six rebounds and three blocks.
Emma West had 11 points and 13 rebounds; and Brylinn Tuggle added eight points, five steals and a couple of assists for the Scots (2-5, 1-5), who trailed 31-19 at the break and kept it even most of the second half until late in the fourth quarter.
"We were in the game and competed with them," Highland coach Whitney Levering-Smith said. "There were just minor details that … we need to pass better; we need to cut to the ball. It's just those little details that we're lacking."
