O. J. Simpson Team Quotations

We have quality players and we played the team around them.

Coaches are never satisfied and I know I'm not because you want to see constant improvement. With each game our team defense seems to be coming together. Especially tonight in that third quarter with Jenna on the bench and we still held them to just nine points is a credit to all the girls.

All of it is Union?s defense. They play up-tempo, in-your-face basketball. They are physical and athletic. They are going to force you to do things you don?t want to do. They contest every shot. It is not like some other teams where you get a chance to get yourself set. You have got to get the shot off quick.

Our view on it is simply with what we know of Mattoon. We compete against them in a few sports already. Our boys' soccer teams play. Our baseball teams play. Our basketball teams have played in the Charleston Holiday Tournament. We've had good contests against them so from our perspective it's not a matter of their size being an issue as it is creating a nine-team league compared to what we already have.

In some ways, winning a (close) game like this against a team that's been really hot at home, is maybe a better game for us right now than to control it from start to finish like we have in recent games. It shows us we can win on the road in a tight situation.

What they have represented makes a win against them very special. We have tremendous respect for them. We also know that one win doesn't make a statement. You have to do things over time. Santa Barbara's the team that's done it over time.

I just do what my team needs me to do that's play defense.

In my mind, (Union) is the best team in the district.

We'll play these two teams on Thursday and Friday before we travel back to Sydney and have a light gym session and rest.

Basically he was our only returning player with a lot of varsity experience and it was an adjustment for him early. As the year went on, he got better as the team got better and a lot of that was a credit to his play.

I'm used to a bunch of teams playing box-and-one. I try not to force it too much. I know everybody else on my team can make the open shots when they get it, so I just let the game come to me.

I will tell you what, I would take this team over any team in the league. They play with a lot of heart, a lot of emotion. They are just a great bunch of kids.

We got all our goals accomplished except one, which was bringing home a trophy from the state tournament. It was a great year. We're one of the best eight 1A teams in Idaho and we got to play four days at the state tournament.