Welsh rivalry sparks final eight
By BRIAN BURKE
Sports Writer
It is now down to eight, and tonight at 7 p.m. the women's Bookstore Basketball tournament will be narrowed down further to set up the Final Four. Highlighting the action is an intriguing game between the third-seeded Playmates Who Can Play and the sixth-seeded No Name But Got Game, pitting interhall teammates against each other in a Welsh Family clash.
Playmates Who Can Play is made up entirely of seniors while No Name But Got Game features three freshmen, one sophomore and one junior.
Playmates captain Stephanie Eden sees the teams familiarity with each other being a factor. .
"They're the other half of the interhall team. I think it'll be a very close game, we know each other very well," Eden said. "We play very good team basketball. We're playing this game for April Olsen, one of our teammates who tore her ACL. That's our motivation to go all the way."
Meanwhile Vanessa Lichon of No Name But Got Game knows her teammates have their work cut out for them against their elder former teammates.
"I think we're definitely the underdogs," Lichon said. "I think tomorrow will be the toughest game we've had. They'll be out to get us, play mind games with us, but we'll be ready. Whoever wins I'll be rooting for Welsh in the next round."
Lichon feels her team has a significant advantage.
"Definitely quickness," said Lichon.
The top seed remaining in the field, JAAKE has cruised into the round of eight and will face the eighth seed, Richie Frahn Club.
"We work really well as a team. We try not to let person do all the scoring," Amy Anderson of JAAKE said. "We're up to the task, but we've only played two games and at least today we had a big height advantage."
Mary Lenzini of Richie Frahn Club realizes her squad needs to play at a high level to pull off the upset.
"The team we're supposed to play looks pretty competitive," Lenzini said. "I think we just need to play really well, play good team defense, and make all our shots."
In the four against five match up, Silk Puppets takes on Farley@Collegeclub.com. Silk Puppets boasts good athleticism with two soccer players in the lineup.
"We should play like we played tonight," Jennifer Pavela of Silk Puppets said. "We're a scrappy team and we just need to come out and play our game."
While Playmates Who Can Play and JAAKE bring considerable experience into their games, the team with the biggest edge in that department would have to be the seventh-seeded We're 52 Years Older Than You, a team of faculty members that is yet to bow out against the younger competition. The going gets tougher however has they face the second-seeded Muffet's Second String.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, April 27, 2000
