The Lady Wildcats won a tough district opener tonight in
Carrollton against a great team;
Carrollton Creekview. The Lady Cats battled for four solid quarters with
Creekview and pulled out the win 41-38!
Score by Quarters
LH 1st - 6 2nd - 8 3rd - 11 4th -16 41
CC 1st - 9 2nd - 10 3rd - 8 4th - 11 38
We won because we have two of our four starters back that have been out! It made all the difference in the world offensively and defensively at the post position. Hannah Wedding and DJ
Sandidge back on the floor gave the whole team confidence and provided leadership as well. Hannah and DJ have been out and they wanted a win so bad, and they both definitely came ready to play!
We have struggled as a team in preseason because we had major players/upper class men/captains/and seniors out. It affected our whole team mentally. The younger ones had to hit a steep learning curve full speed, and battle a tough loaded Varsity 5A schedule. However, this tough preseason schedule and game situations our young team was thrown into has made ALL the difference for district, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Looking back it was tough, but it prepared us for war and the game tonight.
The player I am the most proud of the last few games is Mary Potter. She has turned a corner and we saw her turn this corner in the last few games of our tournament. She decided to just start playing as hard as she could, started playing fearless, and really started taking care of the ball for us.
Tonight, she made me more proud than I have been in a long time. First, she scored all 5 of her points in the 4
th quarter. She had to hit a big three in a tight game under pressure, and she had to hit two key free throws as well.
We got a break away look and Mary had to go up for a power lay-up. We tell the girls CONSTANTLY to go up strong, do not alter your shot, take the hit from the defense, and take one for their team. Mary not only listened to her coach; she got clobbered by two athletic players from
Creekview on her way up. If you know Mary; she only weighs about 120 lbs soaking wet; so it was a hard hit to take to say the least.
She injured her knee, and she took the hard hit for her team as she went up strong. She missed the lay-up, but she was sent to the free throw line for two free throws. She was bawling at the free throw line and I tried to sub her out because she was in obvious pain. She looked at me, waved the sub off and wanted to shoot the free throws. With tears streaming down her face; she shot her free throw. SWISH... nothing but net. The first one was good.
It will forever be one of my favorite memories as a coach. That moment, that small act of courage she showed for her team; is why I coach. It was amazing to see her dedication to her team and coaches. We subbed her after her final free throw and tears still streaming down her cheeks she came over to the bench. I am so proud of her for her heart for our team.
Tierra Scott got four fouls mid way though the 4
th quarter and she is our defensive specialist and leading scorer. It was stressful! At 1:49 I put her back in the game and told her NOT to foul. She does not know how to play soft defense, and it affected her whole game. With 22 seconds left I told her to play hard nose defense and if she fouled out it was
ok. With 16 seconds left; she took over and won the game with two steals and two deflections and LOTS of hustle and heart!
I am very proud of the whole team for playing like a team, working hard as a team, finishing strong, and beating a great team on their home floor.
Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals!!!
Hannah Wedding - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Bridget O'Brien - 6 points, 3 rebounds
Mary Potter - 5 points, 2 assists
DJ
Sandidge - 10 rebounds!!, 2 points, 1 block
DID NOT PLAY
Sam Couch
Kosi Ekwu
