(Blackburn Game Notes)

When you are on a roll, sometimes the worst thing that could happen is a break.

However, a streaking Webster team welcomed the opportunity to get away from the pressures of collegiate basketball. A youthful Gorlok team – winners of four straight – will return from a two-week hiatus on Saturday when they travel to Blackburn for a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match-up. The four-game streak is the longest for Webster since its won six consecutive during a season-ending run in which it claimed 11 of 12 at the end of the 2005-06 season.

“The break is always needed to escape and visit with family,” said acting head coach Jordan Olufson. “It’s a refresher for the freshmen to get home to their roots and see family. I expect the break to bring even better attitudes to the floor and a deeper passion to play this great game. “

It will be only the second true road game, and fourth game away from Grant Gymnasium, for Webster. The Gorloks are in the midst of a stretch in which they are playing eight of nine games at home. They lost their only other road game, a 77-74 decision to Westminster in the SLIAC opener on December 3. It was also the last time the Gorloks were on the frowning side of the scoreboard.

Webster enters the Blackburn contest featuring a balanced scoring attack with six players contributing at least 9.2 points per game, five of which are tallying double figures.  

On a team that features nine freshmen, it’s two of the veterans – junior Julie McGirl and sophomore Katy Meyer - who are providing a stabilizing influence. Meyer has been the most consistent force during the latest four-game stretch, leading the team with 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds.  McGirl, the most veteran player on the roster, is adding 12.5 points and seven rebounds during the current winning streak.

The freshmen backcourt tandem of Courtney Brown and Blaire Underwood are the team’s leading scoring contributors with 11.6 and 11.3 points, respectively. Meyer is chipping in with 11.2 points, while McGirl is adding 10.9 points. Freshman Tori Fenemor, who has missed four games with an injury, is recording 10 points per contest.

The epitome of their balance could be reflected in statistical rankings as no player is ranked amongst the top 5 in SLIAC scoring, but the team is leading in the SLIAC with 72.2 points per game. The WU scoring success is in stark contrast to their opponent, Blackburn. The Beavers are led by forward Sierra Shipley, who is second in the conference with 16.3 points per game. However, they are next to last in scoring with 55.1 points per game, and are being outscored by a SLIAC-worst 25.8 points.

With the Beavers entering the game which could be viewed as a mismatch on paper, don’t expect Webster to rest of its laurels. Although, the team’s make-up is completely different from a season ago, the Gorloks had their 6-3 start morph into an 11-14 season as they started the second half of the season losing five of the first seven.

“Last year was last year,” said Olufson. “We are a completely different team from one to 11. We are more athletic and basketball minded that we don't worry about last year. We will take each day as we get them and each game when they approach.

“I feel very positive with what the ladies accomplished. They deserve all the credit for our success and I hope we continue to ride our wave of good basketball and hard work into the new year. I expect us to play fast up-tempo basketball with a better focus on defensive pressure. We have played great basketball and I hope the second semester brings us even faster up-tempo basketball.”