By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Grass Lake — She was a new coach, the leader of a new team that had some lofty goals and one of the worst starts to the season possible.
Four games.
Four losses.
“I think the natural reaction is to start questioning if you’re doing things the right way,” Grass Lake coach Andrea Cabana said. “But we didn’t. I wanted this team to be run by them with a lot of the leadership decisions coming from the players. We stuck to the plan. We stuck with our vision. We just kept grinding.”
From 0-4 to 13-6 as of Tuesday night.
And that 13-2 stretch includes a 12-1 record in the Cascades Conference, securing the first outright league title for the program since 1988.
“It’s a pretty big deal for these girls,” Cabana said. “When I took over and met with the girls before the season, winning the conference was the first thing they wanted to do. They wanted to win the conference and do it outright. They didn’t want to share anything.”
The Warriors secured the conference title with a 59-55 victory at Manchester Feb. 16.
“They cheered, that’s for sure,” Cabana said of the league clincher. “It was a tough game, and probably not one of our best-played games. But they got the job done. Good teams find a way to win, and we did in this one.”
Grass Lake shared conference titles in 1993 and 2012.
Any thoughts of doing that this year seemed impossible after an 0-4 start.
“But we talked a lot about team unity, about knowing strengths and roles,” Cabana said. “We started rough, obviously. I think my philosophy was different, and the girls needed time to pick things up. Once they did, and started moving in the right direction, it was great.”
Cabana was quick to credit the leadership on her team, namely senior daughter Gracie Cabana along with fellow seniors Abby Niehaus and Jillian Fullerton.
All three are captains, and all three have been on varsity for four years now.
The Warriors close out the regular season later this week against Vandercook Lake, and then open the postseason Monday at Manchester against the district host.
“We are going to approach the playoffs one game at a time,” Cabana said. “The goal is to win the district, but we aren’t looking or talking about anything other than Manchester.”
The Warriors are seeking to defeat Manchester for a third time this year.
“Defense has to be the key,” she added. “We have great basketball players, but girls who are athletes. They have to play together, play strong, and win with defense.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports.
He’s also a Real Estate agent with Real Estate One, specializing with buyers and sellers throughout Michigan, from the Jackson area to metro Detroit. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu or by calling (313) 770-6365 with any inquiries.