Additional Quotes >> USA 98, Mali 28

Jill Rankin Schneider (USA head coach, Monterey H.S., Texas)
On the game:
Our first quarter was maybe a little flat, but after that we played like I expect us to play. It's tough to stay focused when you have a big lead, but I felt like our players kept playing hard. We tried to push the ball, and if we had something in transition to go ahead and take it, but then we wanted to use the time to execute some thing we are going to need to do well in the next round.

Were you able to work on some things during the game?
Really we just wanted to work on our execution. Against some of the teams we've played, we've gotten a lot of transition baskets, but against other teams we haven't, and when we are not scoring in transition, we struggle to get our momentum going. So, we really wanted to just work on our execution. We know we are going to have to execute in a half-court offense from here on out.

Is this team where you wanted it to be at this point, heading into the quarterfinals?
They really are where I wanted them to be. They are undefeated in pool play, and I'm proud of them. Obviously, now we are to a point where you lose and you are out of contention for a gold medal. We want to be sure we are approaching the bracket play in the right frame of mind, and I think that we are. I think that they are ready, and they are obviously very talented. Now, we are just waiting to see who it is going to be.

Is this team where you wanted it to be at this point, heading into the quarterfinals?
The first thing coach said in the locker room was that we are finally out of pool play, and we are all really excited.

Kai James (William T. Dwyer H.S./West Palm Beach, Fla.)
On the game:
We played well, but not completely to our full potential. Each and every game and each and every practice, we are creating more chemistry with each other.

Was it tough to stay focused?
We knew what we had to do. We needed to go out every quarter and take care of our business.

Is this team where you wanted it to be at this point, heading into the quarterfinals?
As a team, we are ready mentally and physically, but we are taking it one game at a time. It's very exciting, being in a new country, playing all of these teams, experience new things.

Erica McCall (Ridgeview H.S./Bakersfield, Calif.)
On the game:
I think we started off a little slow in the first quarter and the energy wasn't that high. But as the game continued on, we started to build up.

Were you able to work on some things in the second half?
The focus was getting into our sets and trying to work on that, so we can use those later on in the tournament.

Is this team where you wanted it to be at this point, heading into the quarterfinals?
I think we are ready. Me personally, I feel like I'm building each game, and especially the team. We have our ups and downs, but I think we are ready for the next round.

Taya Reimer (Hamilton Southeastern H.S./Fishers, Ind.)
On the game:
We started a little slow, but we did well after the first quarter. I think we knew that we had some advantages over Mali, so we tried to focus on penetration and finding the open player and playing good defense.

Was it tough to stay focused?
I don't think it was tough to stay focused. This was our last game of pool play, so we are just really excited to get into the quarterfinals. We were ready to do what we had to do to move on.

Is this team where you wanted it to be at this point, heading into the quarterfinals?
I feel like we get better every game. There is something that we add every game, so I think we are definitely ready.

Jessica Washington (Jenks H.S./Tulsa, Okla.)
On the game:
I think we started off a little slow, but we turned that around and played like we play and stretched out the lead. Our expectations for ourselves are higher than what we came out with, but after that, we did a good job staying focused.

Is this team where you wanted it to be at this point, heading into the quarterfinals?
In the locker room after the game everybody was excited, and I think we are ready. This is what we've been training for, in Colorado, Florida and Italy. We've been waiting for this moment, so I think we are all pretty hyped, ready to go.