Seton Academy's Mariah Cole and Desiree Jackson are the last line of defense on a team that takes pride in its defense.
Cole, a junior center, and Jackson, a sophomore forward, make up two thirds of the Seton Academy low post defense in the Sting's 2-3 zone, and both girls take great pride in their roles in the Seton Academy game plan.
"When we don't play defense and teams are scoring on us, we have to slow the game down," Jackson said. "And that's not our game. We really have to keep our defense up so we can get turnovers and start our transition game."
Cole and Jackson will help lead the Sting in tonight's Concordia University Supersectional where Seton Academy will face Walther Lutheran. The Sting are on a 14-game winning streak, and the down low presence of both Cole and Jackson are a big reason Seton has returned to the supersectional round.
"We're motivated because we keep on winning," Cole said. "Hopefully it can help us get down state, and it is bringing us closer as a team."
The Sting believe they can go as far as their defense will take them, and with the transition game of junior Ebony Bailey, Seton is a tough matchup.
"When we're clicking on defense, we're shutting teams down," Cole said. "We're not letting teams score on us, and it gets our offense and transition game going, and that's really what we thrive in, getting those fast break points."
Cole likens her role as the middle defender in the defense to the quarter back position on the football field.
"Since I am the center I'm more like the quarterback of the court," Cole said. "I can see when someone's cutting or doing something. It's a big part of our defense that I can see everything when maybe a guard may not be able to see everything from the top of the key."
Jackson believes the defense begins with the forwards.
"I think it all starts with us," Jackson said. "The three people at the bottom, we talk to our guards and we communicate well with them, and when someone gets past our guards we contest the shot or get the rebounds.
Seton Academy coach Kevin Green has nothing but high praise for his girls in the middle.
"Each girl trusts the other and that's makes our defense a lot tighter," Green said. "Our girls know if they get beat, you've got Mariah and Desiree to block shots."
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