HS GIrls Basketball (been a while)(a few images)

It's been awhile since I've posted here. But this is just a great site for imput and a bunch of really great shooters come here. So I thought I'd post a few here for some critic and comments so that I can get better.
Anyway here are a few from my last shooting at the high school level. All of these were shot with a 1Dlln at ISO 1250, Tv 500/400 with an 85mm f1.8 wide open. No noise reduction was used on these. I'd sure like to give that 300mm f2.8 a try at indoor sports.

1. Tia goes to the hole and up over the defender with a soft push shot for 2.

QUASIPHOTO wrote in post #2503850
It's been awhile since I've posted here. But this is just a great site for imput and a bunch of really great shooters come here. So I thought I'd post a few here for some critic and comments so that I can get better.
Anyway here are a few from my last shooting at the high school level. All of these were shot with a 1Dlln at ISO 1250, Tv 500/400 with an 85mm f1.8 wide open. No noise reduction was used on these. I'd sure like to give that 300mm f2.8 a try at indoor sports.

second shot is great - so is fourth shot although a little noisy

Some good shots there - love the look on the defending player's face in #2 as she realises that the other player has just gone past her!!

I Simonius wrote in post #2504696
second shot is great - so is fourth shot although a little noisy

Yeah, I guess I should clean that one up a bit with noise ninja. Thanks for the comments.

cool

They are all peachy-cool. I wish Merisha's face wasn't so much in the shadows in her shot, but overall... I would be happy.

I love these shots. I'm envious. My daughter plays JV ball in high school and I'm out there trying/learning.

Are these cropped at all? If not, I don't think I could compose subjects that well with the quick pace of basketball. When you shoot, do you attempt to compose that tightly? Also, would it be good to shoot some shots at a distance to get the full bodies in the shot, then move close and try to get tight action shots, like from the waste up?

Here are a couple of mine from Friday. Most of these were taken with my 350D, 85mm, f/1.8, at 1600 ISO, 1/400, and f/2.0. I'm post processing in RSE, but have Photoshop CS2 on order. C/C please on all, composition, processing, etc.

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Croasdail wrote in post #2508204
They are all peachy-cool. I wish Merisha's face wasn't so much in the shadows in her shot, but overall... I would be happy.

Thank you very much my southern friend. I am pretty happy with these overall. I still feel that there is just something missing from my shots. And I just can't put my finger on it. Yeah I wish that Merisha's face would've been more in the light also. It might have been the dang cycling of the lights. Plus I should of maybe run that shot through noise ninja. I'm still learning lots.

Mount Airy Ed wrote in post #2510068
I love these shots. I'm envious. My daughter plays JV ball in high school and I'm out there trying/learning.

Are these cropped at all? If not, I don't think I could compose subjects that well with the quick pace of basketball. When you shoot, do you attempt to compose that tightly? Also, would it be good to shoot some shots at a distance to get the full bodies in the shot, then move close and try to get tight action shots, like from the waste up?

Here are a couple of mine from Friday. Most of these were taken with my 350D, 85mm, f/1.8, at 1600 ISO, 1/400, and f/2.0. I'm post processing in RSE, but have Photoshop CS2 on order. C/C please on all, composition, processing, etc.

I think that you are on the right track. It would be hard for me to stay to much about your shots, since I don't have a 350D, so I'm not very familiar with that camera. Anyway, they seem just a tad overexposed to me, I think that perhaps you could've gotten away with Tv 1/500. And yes I have cropped my shots, to get rid of a lot of unnecessary backgrounds and to focus more on the players. I've always heard that it's a no-no to cut off players appendages, but I see it all the time. So I'm still a bit confused on that part. Get baseline with that 85 and follow the play and anticipate the play. I just wish it had just a tad more reach. But that big aperture is hard to beat, especially in a high school gym. And perhaps just a bit more tweaking in PP.
Here's an attempt on your shots.

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Thanks for your comments!!