Visionary Basketball Group

The high school Lady C.A.S.T. Team competed in the 2012 GymRat Challenge, College Showcase June 16-17, which is considered one of the most competitive ladies basketball tournaments in the Northeast. C.A.S.T. (College Aspiration Showcase Team) stepped foot on the court Saturday afternoon physically and mentally prepared to compete against the first of the three opponents the ladies would face this day.

It was the extreme focus on defense and rebounding that allowed C.A.S.T. to go 3-0 Saturday.  C.A.S.T. competed against Triple Threat in their first game and due to an all-around team effort; victory went to the ladies wearing VBC.  Morgan Lumb and Lydia Vital lead the way with strong guard play, moving the ball up the court and finding their bigs to finish plays.  Both Vital and Lumb shot high percentages from the 3-point line and executed under pressure.  

Abby Galloway-Burke and Allison Cook owned the paint, grabbing boards and making their presence known down low.   Rowell and Torres came into the game with high energy, playing solid defense in the lane.  Witten and Hamilton, both offense threats, looked for scoring opportunities outside and were active in the press causing Triple Threat to turn the ball over many times.  Freshman Elemy Colome maintained composure on the court, creating scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates.   

Ring City was CAST's second opponent for the day and a slow start put VBC down 5 at the half.  However, at half time a sense of urgency came over the team and energy on defense allowed C.A.S.T. to pull ahead and come out with the victory.

The final competition for the day was against A.C. Elite, which took place at 10:05pm.  The late game time seemed to have no effect on this mentally tough C.A.S.T. Team, as they were able to come onto the court focused with energy, ready to get the job done.  C.A.S.T. came out with the win after a back and forth battle with their opponent.

Sunday afternoon, C.A.S.T. entered a new bracket after going undefeated Saturday.  They played against the Connecticut Storm and despite each team going on scoring runs; the score was tied at the end of the game.  Going into a two minute over time, C.A.S.T. fell short several points and the Connecticut Storm came out on top.

All-around team effort displayed by these ladies truly made this weekend a success.   By utilizing their individual strengths- while focusing on making their teammates better- this team was a solid force, leaving a lasting impression at the 2012 GymRat Challenge.

Morgan Lumb earned a spot on the 2012 U:16 ALL-GymRat Challenge Team, while her PG Lydia Vital was 16:U Honorable Mention ALL-GymRat Challenge. (gymratunlimited.com/womens/w_recap.shtml)

Roster: #23 Morgan Lumb, #33 Abby Galloway-Burke, #10 Allison Cook, #21 Mikaela Rowell, #15 Jessica Witten, #25 Rachel Hamilton, #45 Kiara Torres, #40 Elemy Colome, #3 Lydia Vital

It was the extreme focus on defense and rebounding that allowed C.A.S.T. to go 3-0 Saturday.  C.A.S.T. competed against Triple Threat in their first game and due to an all-around team effort; victory went to the ladies wearing VBC.  Morgan Lumb and Lydia Vital lead the way with strong guard play, moving the ball up the court and finding their bigs to finish plays.  Both Vital and Lumb shot high percentages from the 3-point line and executed under pressure.  

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