SHANE WILSON
Three-point shooting can make or break a team.
Just ask the ESU women’s basketball team, and they will tell you how big of a factor a shot from beyond the arc is in a conference game.
For instance, the team hit an MIAA record 20 three-pointers against Missouri Western on Jan. 27. The ultra impressive performance gave the Hornets a 110-68 win over the Griffons.
In contrast, ESU hit only 2-20 three-pointers in a disappointing loss to Central Missouri on Feb. 3, 64-60. The loss broke a 14-game winning streak.
How can a good team depend on the three-ball so often and be successful?
They can’t.
Every shot in basketball is a risk. The closer the shooter is to the basket, the lower the risk and vice versa. When a team shoots multiple times from long range, the risk becomes exceedingly apparent each and every time.
When the three-pointer goes down, everything is fine. When it doesn’t, however, a multitude of problems arise from a variety of critics.
Fans tend to see excessive three-point shooting as a sloppy, inefficient way to handle an offensive possession, and rightfully so for the most part. Some people fail to see the reward outweighing the risk.
Games like the one the Hornets played against Missouri Western come few and far between. There’s a reason why records aren’t broken very often – they are almost out-of-reach milestones that take a special team on a special day to overtake.
Games like the one the Hornets played against Central Missouri are more common. Emporia State shot less than 10 percent from beyond the arc – it’s not uncommon for teams to shoot below 20 percent on a regular basis.
My point is this: it’s nearly impossible for a team to rely solely on consistent three-point shooting and be successful.
Thankfully for the Hornets, other options are available.
Junior forward Alli Volkens has an impressive low post game on the offensive end, and junior forward Negesti Taylor is improving her offensive prowess each and every game. Some teams don’t have the luxury of one solid 5-man, let alone two.
The dribble-drive is another option the Hornets fancy but sometimes not enough. Senior guards Cassondra Boston and Sophia Lenard excel when driving to the basket off of solid screens. What better way to combat a zone defense when the three-ball isn’t falling than to attack the seams.
The game after the Hornets lost to Central Missouri, the team used a balanced attack of offensive production in the paint and mid-range jumpers to defeat a hot shooting Nebraska-Omaha squad. There’s no reason why this Hornets team can’t use multiple approaches to bring down anyone they face.
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