MOUNT VERNON – Keeping up with an always-changing schedule has been a challenge for fans all over the world. But as an athlete or a coach, an ever-changing schedule has been no day at the beach.
The Mount Vernon Nazarene women’s basketball team is on high alert these days because a game can be canceled or added with very little notice. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the way of the world these days.
“We even did our spit test (Monday) morning,” MVNU coach Amanda Short said. “So we were like, ‘Are we even going to have a basketball game?’ As a coach, I think about that all the time — ‘Are we going to play? Are we going to play?’ So it’s a very mentally draining year. That’s probably more so than the physical aspect, is the mental aspect.”
The Cougars have battled with the physical aspect as well. Two of their top guards, Maggie Coe and Sage Brannon, have been out with injuries.
Coe, a sophomore, is recovering from a stress fracture in her foot and should be back soon. Brannon, a junior, appears to be done for the season after suffering an elbow injury.
“I think that’s something special about our team is that we have plenty of players that are able to step up and carry that load,” Coe said. “It’s been challenging to say the least, but we have a very talented team.”
MVNU, which shot lights out at 48.3 percent (14 of 29) in an 81-53 victory over Midway (Ky.) in non-conference action on Saturday, Jan. 2, couldn’t find the same touch in a 73-67 loss to Huntington in Crossroads League play on Monday, Jan. 4. Both games were at Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon.
The Cougars were held to just 5 of 26 (19.2 percent) from beyond the arc, and an 11-4 run to start the second half by the visiting Foresters ended up being too tough to overcome.
MVNU, which went through a two-week quarantine in November, has already had 10 games canceled or postponed this season; including the game against Huntington, which was originally supposed to be played on Dec. 5.
The Cougars’ next matchup against Spring Arbor in league play has already been called off. It was supposed to happen tonight at 7 p.m. at Ariel Arena.
“It’s been tough, but no team is going to pity you,” Short said. “You can’t have an excuse regardless of how tough it is.”
“We have had a couple of games canceled this year, and things are moving around constantly and we’re not used to that,” Coe said. “It’s been tough, but I think we just try to enjoy each moment as it comes.”
Taylor Gregory continues to be a force with the Cougars (4-7, 1-3) after a 14-point, 18-rebound effort against Midway. She surpassed 1,000 rebounds for her career in the win.
She just missed out on a double-double against Huntington with 15 points and nine boards, along with a pair of assists.
Additionally, Maggie Coblentz had 15 points, five boards and a pair of helpers against the Foresters; while Riley Pireu went for 10 points and a couple of steals, and Elizabeth Fee dished out five assists to go with six points.
Pireu went for 27 points against the Eagles, with Hope Custer adding 22 points, seven assists and four steals.
