To beat an aggressive opponent on the basketball court, Jessica Hanson says she had to step up her game. She was physically as tough as her rival, but she needed to get mentally tougher.
A starting guard with the U-15 Team B.C. earlier this month at the Western Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, Hanson and her teammates had to rebound from a difficult 10-point loss to Manitoba in round-robin action.
The Prairie team had two guards who Hanson characterized as especially physical.
"They got their body into you and shoved you around and they were so quick for their size. It was a very tough, pushy game. Intense," the 14-year-old Vancouverite said this week.
Following the loss, B.C.'s head coach Morgan McLaughlin brought in a sports psychologist. Hanson met with her for one-onone coaching to talk about the importance of routines and the distractions of family, boys and a screaming crowd of hundreds.
"We thought of two words to say over and over again in my head," said Hanson, the daughter of Kevin Hanson, the head coach of the men's basketball program at UBC. "I kept saying it to myself during the games and it honestly stepped my game up and helped me to stay focused throughout the entire tournament.
Those two words: "Right now."
She also cited admiration for the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose. "I try and take it to the hoop as gracefully as he does," she said.
Against Saskatchewan soon after, Hanson had an opportunity to put those new skills into practice. The phrase paid dividends for the still-growing five-foot-eight guard who won the Grade 8 city basketball championships last season with Point Grey and will transfer to Little Flower Academy this September to begin the Grade 9 school year.
The clock ticking down and her team tied with Saskatchewan, she took an inbound pass and drove to the net. She missed the layup. Managing to train her focus on the moment, however, Hanson didn't miss again. A teammate hauled in the rebound and sent the pass back to her for a jump shot. Leaving 7.5 seconds on the clock, Hanson hit nothing but net to take a 50-52 lead.
"It felt good as I released it and it swished," she said of the game-winning shot.
B.C. advanced to the championship final to again meet the tough team from Manitoba, the undefeated girls who handed B.C. its only loss so far.
Hanson prepared for a tough match-up by toughening up. "We knew we were not going to go home with a loss," she said.
B.C. started convincingly and surged to a 23-9 first quarter advantage.
Scoring just six points in the second frame, they allowed Manitoba back in the game and entered the half with their lead diminished to four points.
Two quarters of end-tond action came down to the last play of the game and a gutsy, risky defensive tactic by Hanson with her team leading 61-60. The ball in the hands of Manitoba's stand-out point guard, Hanson stepped into the lane to draw a charge and fell to the floor without drawing the foul.
"She didn't score," said Hanson. "I'd definitely taken a few seconds off her drive. They would have won by one point."
She was still on the ground seconds later when the buzzer sounded, signaling that B.C. won the gold medal by a single point.
Twitter: @MHStewart
