Speaking
of Sports 

by
Lance J. Lilla

 
The need to play
all four quarters

April 17, 2011

Saturday morning, the Novi Wildcats Varsity Lacrosse team went up against Forest Hills Eastern (currently ranked 3rd in the state) right here at Novi's home stadium. It was a long, cold, and rainy battle which tested every player's physical and mental toughness.

Early in the game, junior Kent Burnett scored two uncontested goals in a row, not only giving the Wildcats a 2-0 lead, but also providing them with a burst of confidence. One could argue that they had too much confidence after those two goals though, due to the fact that Forest Hills sunk five in a row into Novi's net, making the score 5-2.

Through out the course of the game, both teams were relentlessly returning shot after shot in hopes of pulling away and gaining the win. What it came down to was who could effectively keep it up.

The fourth quarter came around and Novi's aggressive shots decreased while Forest Hills stepped it up and finished strong.

According to junior Adam Haynes, the 'Cats "didn't play all four quarters and couldn't stop Forest Hill's transition," which is what led to Forest Hills pulling away and ending the game with the 'Cats down by five and a final score of 14-9.

Hopefully the 'Cats don't make that mistake again and can finish strong in their next game which is home this Monday at 6:30 against South Lyon.

(c) 2011 Novi Information Network
www.novi.org