Ed Pultz Quotations

We always feel that we want to get to the free-throw line and, in big games, it comes up. We had good shots at it. It just didn't go in.

She stepped up big. In the second quarter, she got into a flow. She felt confident and hit some big shots.

I give a lot of credit to these girls because nothing really fazed them the whole game. We pushed the lead, they cut back into it, but they just kept their composure the whole time.

This was a good sign of an experienced, veteran team and a focused team. They jumped out on us, they were doing some things. But, every time they would answer, we would answer, and I think we just had the last couple spurts.

I thought they shot the ball unbelievably in the first half. They got the shots they wanted to and really did an excellent job of attacking the basket.

I thought that was one of her better games at managing the game. She played under control, rebounded and played pretty good defense.

I thought we came out and attacked offensively and really did a lot of things that we talked about doing. I think we got a better feel for what they were doing and what we needed to do in the second quarter and, I think, once we had a 12-point lead, we could play a game that was a little more our style.

I thought that, once we got back into what we needed to do, I thought that we could get back into a flow. We got some steals and some turnovers that got us back into our rhythm and our tempo.

I think some people get caught up too much in the expectations of other people. You can never let the expectations of other people overrule yours, because you are the one who is there at practice every day and you, as a coach, are the person who truly has an insight to how the team is progressing. The key is to set goals and work on reaching them and be sure that the goals you are trying to achieve are the ones that you set and not the ones that other people may have set.

Last year it was a great battle and it was a close game between two solid teams. Hopefully, what we learned from that game last year, we tried to incorporate all season.

People always ask me what the difference is between last year's club and this year's and this year's we have other people that can step up. We are a little more patient on offense and we can get other people the ball a little bit better.

Our girls came out defensively and hustled. We played with a lot of energy on defense and made things difficult for Ford City.

Out of those eight looks, I don't think many of them were forced shots. The biggest thing was that they weren't falling and, to be honest, I was looking up at the scoreboard and thinking we could be down a lot more.

I think our patience has been the big key for us this year. Compared to last year and some other years, our patience has really, really impressed me this season. We're willing to move the ball around and wait for that good shot.

Maybe that was my fault, in making the girls think too much about what we were going to do. Instead of trying to play the way we played all year, maybe I put too many ideas in their minds, and we weren't able to stop them.

I would imagine that, with four out of the five starters back, nothing much will change. They're aggressive, they're well-coached and it's going to be a challenge.

Whether you're seeded No. 1 or 2 or 3, you have to go in with the same focus. I won't use negative things to focus the girls because that doesn't work for us and this is a different team.

We have some girls who played last year, and I think experience in the playoffs can be a positive factor. I think at this time, you just worry about who's playing that evening and who's playing well and, just because we've been there before doesn't mean anything for that evening because, whoever plays better is going to go on.

We still had some opportunities, but I thought that there were a couple times when we cut it close and we had some good looks at it, but the ball just didn't roll in. We got close to the mountain, but we couldn't get on top of it.

We always try to do that. That is one of our philosophies. We try to get everyone into the game.

We've played 31 ball games and, at this time of the year, you can't change. You have to go with what brought you and play with the style that's been successful for you all year long.

We weren't thinking about it too much. We just have to go out and play. You have to play well to advance.

The states is a different tournament, and we have to enjoy this (through the weekend and) maybe Monday, but we'll get back to our focus on the next step. This is great, and this is fantastic for these girls, and it's a memory they'll have their whole lives, and then you look at the states, and you look at that as a whole other tournament where you're going against the best teams from across the state of Pennsylvania.

No matter how far you go in anything, you have to take that first step and, sometimes, that first step can be a big one. They hadn't played for two weeks, but there's no monkey on their back ... and they came in really relaxed.

Ashley and Maggie (Gibson) get a lot of the ink and the publicity, but there are other people that have performed well in the playoffs and all season for us. You're not going to win in the tournament with two or three good players. You need to have more players and you need to have a bench if you want to advance.

They were looking to pressure us and they were looking to attack us offensively. The thing that they did really well in the first half was hit their shots, so I was really pleased (near) the end of the first quarter to be tied.

They were doing a good job on her so that she couldn't get a good look or a good driving lane. They knew, as soon as she got the ball, I saw there were three or four people around her looking to cut off the driving lanes.

They're one and we're two, but we're never worried about papers and rankings and that kind of stuff. The more important thing is that those are just people's opinions, noted people, but we just want to go out there and play.

It just hurts being here three years in a row. They came up short on the scoreboard, but they're winners in my book, and especially the seniors. Just because we weren't winners on the scoreboard doesn't mean we aren't winners in the long run.

It just hurts being here, and I feel for these kids. This is such a special group of girls to be around. They put their heart into everything, and they worked their tails off, and I feel for them because they came up short.

That has to be credit to our girls.

It was great for our girls' soccer team to do so well, but it did slow our team's progress a little bit early in the season.

I'm sure it's a good thing for both of us because we're both pretty familiar with what we do and, when you get to this point of the year, you don't change anything. We're both pretty familiar with each other and I don't expect too many surprises and I'm sure they won't get any surprises from us because we'll do the same things we've done all year.

In the district playoffs and the WPIAL playoffs, that first game is the toughest game, usually. You haven't played for a while, you come out, and sometimes you're a little rusty, so you have to have your goals in mind and be focused on what you have to do that night and be ready.

I just think you have to focus on what got you here. In the playoffs there are so many upsets in the first round, a team feels pressure because things don't flow the way you want them to and you don't get the rhythm you had during the season.

I just think, in the playoffs, it's a matter of executing. Every team comes in even and you start thinking about the seeding and you have to look at that one evening (game) and only that one evening and not past that point.

You can't take any team lightly in the playoffs. That was a heck of a game last year, and we were just fortunate to come out with a win -- and they have four of their five starters back.

The layoff is always hard and we felt as if we were rusty in the first half as well, and it took us a while to get through that. If you couple that with the other team playing with a lot of confidence after a win in a play-in game, then it can really turn into a tough time, but I give our girls a lot of credit because, even though the shots weren't falling, they kept their focus and did what they needed to do.