Tandem strolls past Steward

Despite a low-scoring output from one of its best players, Tandem Friends managed to play smart, team-oriented basketball to roll past visiting Steward on Tuesday, 46-28.

The Badgers got just three points from Miller transfer Kai Washington, yet got a strong performance from Hannah Hellman, who finished with a game-high 19, to jumpstart the team.

Tandem played extremely well on the defensive end, contesting every Spartans shot, blocking several attempts, stepping into passing lanes and creating turnovers and headaches for Steward all evening long. Steward managed only 12 made field goals for the game, and scored just four points in the first quarter, six in the second, and three in the fourth.

Steward’s Julie Remmers, who scored 21 against Tandem last year, was held to four points on the night. Lizzie Stewart and Whitney Martin were instrumental in shutting Remmers down.

Badgers head coach Gordon Fields said after the game that defense is the element of the game that his squad prides itself on.

“We played a great game defensively,” Fields said. “We like to play 94 feet of defense for 32 minutes — that’s our way of playing. Good defense translates into easy offense and that’s what we work on every day.”

Junior Hattie Nguyen, who finished second in Delaney Athletic Conference player of the year voting a season ago, was the main cog in the aggressive defensive effort for Tandem, and Fields said that her performance was nothing new.

“She’s a leader, one of our captains, and we look for great things from her every game, whether it’s scoring or just playing great defense,” the coach said.

Tandem led 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, and that’s when Hellman took over offensively. She scored the first seven points of the second quarter.

“She’s a machine,” Fields said. “When she’s on, she can hit four or five in a row. I expect her to score in double digits every game.”

Washington got into early foul trouble and had to sit the majority of the first half. The Badgers will look to Washington to lead the team at the point guard position this season if they hope to reach their goals of winning the DAC and advancing to the state tournament.

“It takes away from her game when she’s picking up quick fouls,” admitted Fields. “She concentrated more on getting the ball to other people. She’s brought stability and leadership to this team and has inspired us to play a little harder each time out.

“When the game is close, we look for her to rally the troops, pull them together and keep them composed. As we go down the stretch, we’re going to need her leadership and ability.”

Next up for Tandem (2-1) is the Wakefield School’s Life and Breath Tournament this weekend. The Badgers will take on East Hardy (W.Va.) in the first round on Saturday morning.