The team will always overcome. It is a simple truth preached at every level of organized sports. Individuals can lead teams, but it is the team, working together, that wins the game.
This season, women's basketball senior guard Telisha Quarles has been far and away the strongest individual leader for the Cavaliers. She runs the offense, she sets the tempo for the team and when necessary, she takes it on herself to score the big baskets.
Last night against Georgia Tech, Quarles struggled through most of the first half and got into foul trouble in the second, picking up her fourth foul at the 11 minute 55 second mark. Virginia had closed a 13-point deficit and tied the game immediately before Quarles exited; she would not return until 3:47 remained. Usually it would spell disaster for the Cavaliers if their floor general sat out for eight minutes near the end of a close game. Tonight, however, it was in every way a team effort.
"I was really proud of the team when Telisha went out," coach Debbie Ryan said. "Anna Prillaman ran some point, Liz Sahin ran it a bit, too, and we still ran the offense well, getting the ball into the scorers' hands."
Georgia Tech had a lot going for it in this matchup - a large size advantage down low and the memory of a 31-point victory in their last meeting. The first half gave every indication of continued Yellow Jacket dominance. A tight zone defense bottled up Brandi Teamer, denying her open looks at the basket and not allowing her to set her feet on shots. She was reduced to two points on one-of-five shooting in the first half.
Another long-lived basketball maxim is that to beat the zone, one must pass quickly and shoot well from the outside. Early on, Virginia failed to connect on these shots, going 12-for-34 (35.3 percent) from the floor in the first half.
But the team kept it together, turning their 13-point shortfall into a lead of as much as nine, thanks in large part to a scorching 15-of-17 shooting streak. This change can be credited to a faster tempo in the second half, involving the entire Virginia squad. They truly embodied the team spirit, spreading the ball, taking charges, finding the hot hand and setting her up with shots.
Last night, that hot hand belonged to Prillaman, who tied her own team record with five three-pointers in the second half.
"In the second half, the shots started to fall," Prillaman said. "Not only did the passers do a good job of finding me, but my teammates also did a great job screening for me."
Suddenly, Georgia Tech had to respect Virginia's outside shooting. This meant switching to a man defense, which enabled Teamer to get some scoring opportunities of her own - she chipped in 17 second half points.
"It was one of their best team efforts," Georgia Tech coach Agnus Berenato said. "They kept it up. We tried a variety of defenses, and they kept stroking their shots. You don't like to go man-to-man versus them because Teamer can beat you, but they hit their shots so we had to switch."
Anna Crosswhite, Bethany LeSueur and Sahin all joined the collaborative effort, each making important contributions. This is a good sign for the team - to receive offensive production from more than just Quarles and Teamer. Making a comeback with everyone helping should be a good lesson for this young, surprising group that rapidly has risen into contention for a NCAA tournament berth.
If they meet success in the postseason, they can remember last night's win as the moment they learned to play as a team.
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