By Kayla Berns, Staff Writer
The Armstrong Men’s and Women’s basketball team hit the road last weekend to take on the Montevallo Falcons in Montevallo, Alabama. The pirates returned from the Heart of Dixie split with one win (women’s basketball) and one loss (men’s basketball).
“We are always a little slow to start and we came into this one just the same” said Assistant Coach CJ Pace after reviewing the win Saturday.
The pirates won 68-67 after a nail-biting game.
Nevertheless, the pirates were determined to leave Alabama with the win. Sophomore Brigitta Barta, the native of Budapest, Hungary scored the game winning basket with only eight seconds left on the clock. “Coach wrote up a plan that was to get me open for the shot, after I missed the shot.” Barta said, “I was not thinking anything but I have to get this rebound, we have got to win this game, and with that I got my rebound and secured the win for my team.”
Barta’s perseverance is a quality embedded within the entire team, “we make goals every game and we will not be satisfied until we meet those goals,” said Barta. Assistant Coach Shanae Vaifanua added, “Our offense is good, but we need to improve on defense because that is what can be the difference between a win versus a loss”.
As the women’s game came to a finish, the gym piled in with rowdy alumni excited to celebrate their 50th anniversary. This momentum along with 20 points put away by senior Larry Slaughter, top scorer, resulted in a lost 83-64 for our men’s team.
Junior Marcus Hopper, from Queens N.Y. scored 12 points, while juniors Shaquiell Mitchell (Adams Run, S.C.) and Nicholas Scott (Ringgold, Ga.) each added 10 points.
Assistant Coach Jeremy Mayweather explains the ingredients for success, “We need to progress and continue to just be a team: work together, work hard, and work to get better.”
The pirates move forward to take on Flager Feb. 4 at Armstrong. Come out and support the eight conference wins, your lady pirates, at 5:30 pm and stay to cheer on the Men’s team as they continue their winning streak at home.
