Girl’s Basketball Preview

The Girls’ Varsity Basketball team has been putting in work for the last week and is excited to start the season. With losing 2 seniors last year, the Wildcats’ are looking to fill a point guard spot as well as a player in the post.

At the end of last year’s season, the girls had quite a scare. Their beloved coaches, Coach Laurence and Coach Sullivan, broke the news that they would not be returning for the 2017-2018 season. For the girls, this was heartbreaking, because the coaches had a rare bond with the players. Going through multiple tough seasons can really strengthen relationships with one another. Through the team’s few ups and many downs, Coach Laurence and Coach Sullivan stuck beside the team and continued to encourage the girls in their tough losses. However, the team got some exciting news in the weeks leading up to tryouts, finding out that Coach Laurence and Sullivan would be returning for the 2017-2018 season.

Junior post player Claire Sanden said, “I was so relieved when I found out they were coming back. I didn’t want a new coach because I was afraid they would have a different plan than what we had been building the past two years.”

With the coaches coming back and the girls excited to play again, the girls varsity team is ready to get back into the swing of things.

Head Coach Shannon Laurence said, “We are looking forward to a great season on the court! We are working hard each day in practice preparing for our first game on November 21st. We have quite a few varsity returners this year, and I am excited to watch them lead, encourage and challenge our team.”

The team has four returners, senior guard Jordan Haeusser, junior guards Kristen Keys and Kylie Mckee, and junior post Claire Sanden. With all 3 juniors having been on varsity since they were freshmen, they are all ready to take on their roles as upperclassmen and lead the team.

The team will be looking to Keys and Mckee to be their main scorers as well as continuing to bring intensity to the court. Sanden will be the only post player on the entire team, and add height to the team’s short roster. Another player to watch is sophomore Macie Lottmann. Lottmann was a swing last year, but brought valuable presence on the floor for the wildcats. This year, the team looks to Lottmann to step up and play a much bigger role in the wildcat’s success.

Brand new to the varsity team is junior guard Dani Mabry along with sophomore point guard Carsyn Beachy. Mabry and Beachy both bring speed to the wildcat team. With the team losing their only point guard last year, Beachy looks to work hard and eventually fill that hole in the Wildcats’ offense. Mabry is a stealthy left-handed guard that also looks to fill the cracks in the team by doing whatever she can.

Now, with the team being more on the older side with one senior and three juniors, there is no room for excuses or mistakes. The wildcats’ look to make this season better than the last by being in the best shape they can and working harder than ever.

The team has five words that they are going to work by this year: conditioning, communication, preparation, courage, and selflessness. By remembering these words, the girls look to control the controllables and play their game.

Coach Laurence said, “As a team, we want to always give our best and work our hardest for the Lord, not for men or ourselves. We are focusing on our conditioning, communication, preparation, selflessness, and courage. We want to compete with awesome attitude and effort, and to win and have fun along the way.”

Even though this 2017-2018 team does not have a lot of size, they are ready to play the game to their best ability with heart and intensity, and hopefully get a lot of wins on the season.

Come support your lady wildcats throughout the season!