The Lady Boxers begin the 2011 and 2012 basketball season with much- needed enthusiasm and spirit as they shattered long-lasting school records. During their home game against Linfield, Pacific broke a 17-year-old school record by hitting 14 three-point shots against Linfield and put Linfield away early with a 17-0 first-half run on the way to a 87-54 win over the Wildcats. The Boxers improve to 5-0 for the first time since the 1988-89 season. Though the team and season is still in its infancy, fans, players, and coaches expect more great things to come. Head Coach Sharon Rissmiller said, “This really is an extraordinary group of girls who are focused on having a great season.”
Top returning players include Erica Schultz, Paige Jensen, Brittney Anderson, Kandice McArthur and Annette Highley.
Newcomers to watch out for include Heather Hitch, Erica Colter and Nani Ostrom.
With this team’s camaraderie in mind, every single player has been a contributing factor to the teams new- found success. In the last four games all 13 Boxers had court time, with 11 players scoring.
Rissmiller echoed this by saying, “it is more fun to watch a great team than to watch a great player.”
The team’s hasty success can be attributed to a greater cohesiveness between all the players and a stronger defensive team.
“Overall, as a team, we are better defensively and work much better together,” said Rissmiller. “The team plays with an aggressiveness that gets fans on their feet. The girls are aggressive, hardworking and fun to watch.”
Freshman Olivia Cook said, “All the girls are really great and we all get along really well. It should be a great year.”
With a monumental start such as this one, Pacific can continue to hope for great things from this year’s Boxers.
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