On Monday, Faith Bible beat the 1A #2-ranked Country Christian on the road in a thriller. Rather than suffer a flat performance against Mannahouse Christian, Faith Bible brought the same energy that had allowed them to make a fourth-quarter comeback the night before.
Faith Bible came in ranked #2 in the Coaches' Poll with a record of 15-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in league. Mannahouse entered the game unranked with a record of 3-4 overall and 1-2 in league.
Mannahouse jumped out immediately and took control of the game. By halftime the game was 47-16 at the half in favor of Faith Bible. The second half was slightly more even as Faith Bible subbed in their second unit to give them some experience. Mannahouse continued to fight, their coach constantly teaching and helping her girls get just a little bit better as players. Adriana Bjornsgard and Reaiah Hall had good second half driving to the basket. But the best efforts of Mannahouse, the game ended 62-36.
Mannahouse is a young team - composed entirely of freshmen. They show potential to be a force to be a force within the Northwest League in the coming years. Hall and Bjornsgard are terrific athletes that have great potential.
"The game was won in the first quarter," coach Masterson said after the game. "Taylor won't let us lose," he said referencing senior guard Taylor Masterson. He lauded the leadership of Ashley Lohman and Taylor Masterson, thanking them for their leadership.
The leadership shows on the court. While not a flashy team, Faith Bible grinds their opponents down with consistent play and sharing the ball. When the second team played during the second half, the bench erupted when their teammates scored, showing how unified this team is.
Faith Bible truly does embody the ideal cohesiveness of a team. None of the players feel like they need to be the ones scoring, they just care that they win. From the team shoes to the encouragement constantly emanating from the bench makes an environment that anybody would be proud to be a part of.
And their success shows. Their only loss is to 9-4 Morenci - an Arizona 3A equivalent school - and they have beaten one of the dynasties in 1A girls' basketball. When asked about how the team stays focused when they roll over teams in their own league, Coach Masterson said, "They practice every day with the boys. They get beat every day in practice."
Faith Bible plays Gaston on Thursday night. All proceeds from the game will be going to help those affected by the Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami. Mannahouse's next game is at Vernonia on Thursday.
