Walsh, Goffstown girls basketball learning, gaining experience as they go

It wasn't really a position where Kelly Walsh wanted to find herself.

But when starting point guard Olivia Brannen went down with an injury in the first game of the Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament, the Goffstown High School sophomore was called on to slide over a spot in the starting lineup.

"I’m not used to playing point guard," Walsh said. "(Brannen) got injured the first day of the tournament. Everyone stepped up. I played a lot of point guard last summer, but it’s not really my position. I’ve just got to get used to it."

It was just one more thing the Goffstown girls basketball team had to adjust to this season, and one more thing first-year coach Steve Largy believes will make Walsh and the Grizzlies better in the long run.

"She had to play a bit of a different role than she’s used to," Largy said. "That’s great for her in terms of her development as a player, but it’s difficult to have to do that and play a really good team (like Merrimack). They were going to key on her and I thought she did a great job. She passes the ball well and contributes in other ways aside from scoring."

While the roster has five seniors on it, Goffstown's lineup consists of plenty of juniors and sophomores who were getting acclimated to varsity basketball and a new coach. The Grizzlies opened their Division II scheduled by dropping four of their first five games, to teams that are a combined 18-4 through the first few weeks of the season.

But Goffstown has rebounded from that start, taking third place in the Chick-Fil-A tournament - which included a win over Division I Alvirne -  and two wins over Pembroke and Plymouth in division play.

"We started the season with a rough start," Walsh said. "We played three of the top teams, but I think, this experience, knowing we can play D1 teams, it’s going to help us with the rest of our season. We have to be ready to go."

Largy feels the more the Grizzlies get out on the court in meaningful games, and adjust to the ebbs and flows that come every time out, the more successful they'll be.

"We’re a young team, so we get really high on the highs and really low on the lows," Largy said. "We don’t necessarily look at who we’re playing either. The fact we lost, they take it hard. What we’re working on is just kind of developing the culture that says we’re going to respond to any challenge that comes up. It was a big confidence boost and get a couple of wins."

The further Goffstown gets into the season, the greater the challenge may be for Walsh. Not only will she sometimes have to carry those point-guard responsibilities, but teams have already started to key on her when she gets the ball.

Against Merrimack in the tournament semifinals, the Tomahawks sent two defenders after Walsh every time she touched the ball.

"I think it’s going to happen throughout the whole season and getting reps now is going to help us defeat it in the future," she said. "The whole team is going to step up and know how to react to it instead of relying on certain people."

It's just another part of the learning process, according to Largy.

"It’s one of those things that’s a two-way street," the coach said. "It goes both ways, she has to trust them and they have to trust her, in terms of being able to step up in those situations. I think we made that step. In terms of her development as a player, to be able to find people, that’s going to help her at the next level. (Walsh) is a kid that can go pretty far and we want to see her develop as a player in every capacity. She’s starting to really kind of make that turn.

"Once we establish that trust of sharing the ball, spreading the floor, finding the open shooter, whoever it is, it’s going to take time. They’re learning a lot."

Goffstown returns to action on Wednesday at Oyster River, and plays at Kearsarge on Friday.