Number 4 is No. 1 Redcoat
John Ingribelli’s message to the Governor Simcoe Redcoats senior girls basketball team is finally starting to sink in.
“We have been preaching for a long, long time to play as a team and stop looking for No. 4 (Jamie Addy),” he said, following the Redcoats 57-38 victory over the Eden Flyers Tuesday in Niagara Region High School Athletic Association play. “That was a big key. We actually played as a team.”
It is hard for Addy not to be a focal point on the team and she was a factor again Tuesday scoring a game-high 21 points.
“They rely on her way too much and I am trying to give them confidence knowing that she is not going to be here next year,” Ingribelli said. “I am trying to build for next year.”
Addy will be missed.
“Maimer (Addy) is our leader, our cheerleader and she is a mentor to these girls. It is great to have her,” he said.
Addy is a scorer but she is always looking to get her Simcoe teammates involved in the scoring.
“She sees the floor very, very well and that is what makes our team better.”
Ingribelli has seen Addy grow as a player over the past few seasons.
“She is a competitive girl and she has taken on the challenge of becoming more of a team leader,” he said. “She always had the skill but now her biggest asset is being a team leader and getting the kids to play a certain way. She’s alway cheering on the girls and has a positive outlook to the game whether we win or lose.”
The 17-year-old is relishing her final year of high school basketball.
“I am excited and I want to make the best of this year. I want to get as far as we can because we have a great group of girls,” the Grade 12 student said.
She is on board with the motto of not always looking for No. 4.
“Sometimes when I am covered I am yelling at them not to pass the ball to me. They are used to having all eyes on 4. The other teams know who to guard and I am telling the other girls to try and take it themselves. They are all good enough to score.”
During the high school season, Addy sees a steady dose of double teams, triple teams and box and ones.
“It gets in my head sometimes but I just have to be mentally tough. All the girls on the team are there for me and set screens for me. I know when I get the ball I have to make the most of it. It is hard to get the ball when I am being triple teamed.”
Knowing the attention she attracts, Addy has become much more adept at finding the open man on offence. Her passes have a lot of mustard on them.
“Sometimes they are a bit too hard,” she said, with a smile.
Addy is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her older sister Ally and play for the Brock Badgers women’s team.
“I have been to a couple of practices with them in the summer but so far that has been it.”
She knows what she needs to do the catch of the eye of university coaches.
“I have to keep putting the points up on the board because that is usually what gets you noticed,” Addy said. “I have been focusing more and more on my shot because that is my strength right now.”
Governor Simcoe improved to 2-3 with the victory while Eden fell to 4-2 with the loss.
“Defensively is usually where we are solid and not to take anything away from Simcoe, but that isn’t the level of defence that we are accustomed to,” Eden head coach Jonathon Thorpe said. “Some games you just don’t have it and it didn’t matter what defensive system we switched to. Things just continued to snowball for us. But that’s why we play sports and it is still fun.”
STATS PACK
Redcoats 57 Flyers 38
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Simcoe’s Jamie Addy with 21 points and a strong game at point guard.
For the Governor Simcoe Redcoats: Addy 21; Keira Teske 19; Abby Ravazzola 9; Taliya Washington 3; Chantelle Meadus 1.
For the Eden Flyers: Annika Rigby 12; Ashlynn Caverly 7; Lamiss Gharib 4; Anna Deliyannis 4; Chloe DiLalla 3; Leah Schouten 2; Iye Ogunkeye 2; Madelaine Templeman 2; Olivia Davidson 2.
