Every team experiences their ebbs and flows, and the Demon Deacons proved no different during their participation in the North Shore Showcase in Laie, Hawaii.
The team traveled last week to Brigham Young University’s Hawaii campus, located on the northeastern shore of Oahu Island. The showcase also featured the hosting BYU Cougars and Saint Louis Billikens, and each team played one another over the two day span.
The Demon Deacons took on the hosting Cougars in the first game, but the team found themselves rarely able to score points from the field, losing 67-44 on 25% shooting from the field.
First-year forward Madisyn Jordyn led the Demon Deacons in scoring with 12 points. BYU guard Kailey Woolston had 18 points, and her fellow Cougar Lauren Gustin added 22 rebounds.
Despite the loss, the Demon Deacons did have a positive of sorts in their fourth quarter play, outscoring the Cougars 21-20 in the final frame.
“The ball just didn’t fall for us tonight,” said Head Coach Megan Gebbia. “If we can continue to have that same energy and fight, we are going to start to see the results come.”
The Demon Deacons would not waver after the loss, however, bouncing back with a 94-66 win the following Monday against the Saint Louis Billikens (3-2).
The dominant win represented the largest single-game point total that a Gebbia-coached team has ever accumulated in the coach’s 11 seasons of head coaching experience.
“We really played together well today for all 40 minutes,” Gebbia said after the second game.
Related to teamwork and chemistry, the Demon Deacons also assisted well en route to the win, setting a single-game record for assists during the Megan Gebbia era.
“We took advantage of what [Saint Louis] gave us and really shared the ball well today,” Gebbia said. “We had so many people step up today.”
The bevy of assists came at the hands of guards Kaia Harrison and Elise Williams, who combined for 13 of the team’s 24 assists.
“That was probably the best I have ever seen Kaia [Harrison] play,” Gebbia said. “If we continue to play with this kind of effort and togetherness, we will continue to see the results come.”
Madisyn Jordan showed out again for the Demon Deacons, with a team-high 20 points on 8-9 shooting to add onto three rebounds.
Despite the success on the offensive end, Gebbia did have some qualms about the game.
“There were a couple things we needed to clean up defensively,” Gebbia said.
The Billikens were able to exploit the Demon Deacons’ defense due to the presence of guard Kyla McMakin, whose game-high 26 points came on 10-16 shooting.
Although the tournament showed a glimpse of the good and bad, Gebbia looked at the experience as a net positive.
“Overall, I am proud of the growth we saw over the course of our two games here in Hawaii,” Gebbia said. “I am excited to see where this team continues to grow.”
The Demon Deacons face the Texas A&M Aggies (5-1) on Thursday, Nov. 30, at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on ACC Network.
