The holiday break

Alaina's basketball team hit the holiday break at 5-1, its best record in several years at this point. After losing its first game 46-41 to Carroll, one of the better teams in the state, Northwest won its next five. Its last game before break, against another Catholic school, was its best so far. Kapaun played man-to-man, which was a change from most of the zones Northwest has seen. Alaina had 15 points and didn't play in the fourth quarter. I felt bad for the girl guarding her, who was just a freshman. Alaina kept calling for the ball and taking it to the basket. The girl got two fouls in the first quarter and was in foul trouble the rest of the game.
All five starters from last season are back. The key will be developing some depth off the bench. They are three or so deep on the bench, but need to get more quality minutes from that group. After break, Northwest plays the worst team in the league and then plays the No. 1 team in the state, Wichita Heights. That will be a good barometer for where they stand.
Alaina is averaging between 11 and 12 points a game and between eight and nine rebounds. She likes her new coach a lot better than the one from last year. Her new coach, Jim Mernagh, is from Portage, and despite the fact he's a Notre Dame fan, he's a good guy. Very positive, upbeat, encouraging. Her coach the last two years was a screamer and the girls didn't respond well to that. He is now coaching a nearby rival suburban school. They came to Northwest for a game earlier this season and the girls really wanted to win. Alaina had 17 points in that one.
Laura, meanwhile, is preparing for her first volleyball tournament. She is playing club volleyball for the first time. She is starting to grow a bit and judging by the length of her legs, probably isn't done yet. She is doing well and her coach, a guy, has played a lot of volleyball and does a good job of explaining the game. Her first tournament is Jan. 16 in Wichita. Most of her tournaments will be here with one of them out of town. This should help her next year when she tries out again for the middle school team.