South Lake Falls in Girls Basketball Opener

Early in the season, the outcome isn't always as important as the experience.

A season-opening, 52-29, loss to Harper Woods High School last night is a prime example of this for girls basketball squad.

"We're going to be small just about every game," South Lake coach Joe Charrette said. "We're just not that big of a team. That means we have to go out and shoot the ball well. We didn't do that tonight. We just didn't shoot very well."

The Pioneers' length may have been an issue, particularly early in the contest. Harper Woods started the game with a 9-point run, and took a 15-9 lead into the second quarter.

"I think their length bothered us," Charrette said. "And you have to give them credit. They played hard and did a good job of taking us out of our offense."

Despite the tough, trapping defense Harper Woods brought to the floor, South Lake battled to knot the score at 15-15 midway through the second quarter, but an 11-3 Pioneers run resulted in a 26-18 advantage for Harper Woods.

"We played hard, and I think we played pretty well defensively tonight," the coach said. "But, we're the kind of team that has to take advantage of things when they present themselves. We didn't do that in the first half. I think we missed five lay-ups. That gave them the momentum they needed."

Harper Woods cruised to a 52-29 victory, outscoring the Cavaliers 16-5 in the closing quarter.

"I think this was a really good game for us to start off the season with," Charrette said. "We're a good shooting team, all though we didn't show it tonight, and we're scrappy. That I thought we did well tonight. We battled and we fought."

South Lake's scrappy demeanor will certainly benefit the team in the Macomb Area Conference Silver Division—where the Cavs will look to contend for a division crown against Clawson, Clintondale, East Detroit, Lamphere, Madison, Marysville and New Haven.

"I think we'll be fine," Charrette said. "We've got good guard play, and we've got great team chemistry this season, too."

The presence of seven seniors aids in this cause, and may help the squad squeak out some close games. Last season, the Cavs lost six games by three points or less last year, including the district final.

"As far as tonight's game," Charrette said. "We just didn't shoot well enough. It's that simple."

Freshman Leah Charrette paced the Cavaliers with 12 points, while Bri Smith added 11 points in the loss.

Next up for South Lake is Warren Lincoln on Dec. 8 on the road.