Lady Mariner Jesse Erickson (22) keeps the mood light under fire against Homer High School alumni last Saturday.

While the pressure was turned down for the Lady Ms, that doesn't mean that the nerves didn't run high, facing big names from years past, and trying as hard as they could to make shots that just refused to sink.

"Our weakness truly is on the offensive end. We did a good job of getting to the shots we wanted, but we only made 25 percent, so that's killing us right now," said Lady Mariners' Head Coach Deb Lowney.

For the Lady Ms, junior Melissa Wood commanded the stats, scoring 18, with four steals, six deflections and making her first double-double of the season in points and boards.

"Other kids had good efforts coming at it, but no one else is stepping up like she is," said Lowney.

For the Lady Ms to really compete, it is going to take a full five on the floor able to score on any given opportunity, something the Ms will continue to work on over the coming week and for the rest of the season.

On the other side of the coin, the defense was the day to the offense's night, bringing in a bevy of steals and take-aways for the Lady Ms.

"We did get 16 steals and touched the ball 17 times so we were at least deflecting the passes and showed good hustle as a team," said Lowney.

Next week against Skyview the Ms will have to balance out their toughened tank-like defense and offensive rebounding with their abysmal shooting percentage from the floor if they hope to survive against a team that has already drained both Nikiski and Seward.

"As soon as we get that portion of the game under control and use that with Melissa's consistency, I think we're going to be just fine. We got 17 offensive boards, but if you look at that statistic it just doesn't equate when we only got 12 baskets from the floor," said Lowney.

The Lady Ms will look to shed some of the mistakes made in the alumni game, particularly in missed scoring opportunities, when they take their game on the road to Skyview Jan. 5.

"It's going to be a long season if we don't get that under control. We're distributing the ball well, we're playing strong defense, but when you can't follow through on a play it's hard to see the good in the play and not get frustrated," said Lowney.