Coach's Corner

Bi-District Playoff Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:58:00 +0000

We are so excited that we advanced to the state playoffs again this year; however, the game did not go as we had planned. Garland Naaman Forest is a great team that is well coached. However, they are beatable. We are a young team experience wise and we were rattled to be playing a great, experienced team and to be in a playoff game. Many of our girls looked like deer in headlights and literally were frozen in fear a few times. It was odd because they seemed ready for the game. We had gone over our game plan, we had scouted Naaman and were prepared to win. We wanted to stop their point guard who is a great player and recently signed with SMU. We limited her to 14 points... which is low for her; however, we let another player sneak in and get her points that she normally scores for her team.

We lost the first quarter 12-18 after starting sluggish. We had a great second half of the first quarter and went on a small 6-0 run.

We seemed to get nervous for some reason after we made a run and closed in on them some and went cold the second quarter. We lost 4-16. We threw the ball all over the gym, one turnover or mistake turned into five. We needed to settle down and relax. We knew there would be playoff jitters, but we did not realize how bad we would have them as a team.

Of the 13 we suited out; only 4 had played in our playoff games last year, and of those 4 only 2 had played major minutes. We had two freshman suited up and they were extremely nervous as well. DJ Sandidge really stepped up as a senior and played hard, left it all on the floor, and seemed to calm the waters some when she was on the floor.

After half time adjustments, Coach Matthews telling Kosi to get involved more, redirecting some of our passing decisions and shot decisions and a stern talking to; the girls came out strong and played hard. We only lost the third quarter 12-13. The second quarter was still plaguing us.

The fourth quarter we came out strong again, but we seemed to get foul after foul after foul called for stepping up our defense. They shot almost 30 free throws for the night to our 15. Not only did they get us in foul trouble, get to line, and get free throws; they also made almost all their free throws. In fact, the player that stepped up for the point guard shot 15 free throws alone... as much as our whole team, and she made 9 of the 15. They are great shooters and drivers and get teams in foul trouble easily. They really took care of business on the free throw line and defeated us 26-13 the fourth quarter. They only had 5 baskets, but they had a LOT of free throw attempts and makes.

We just started slow and scared and you cannot do that against great teams. We all have a playoff game under our belt now and I strongly believe we will go deep into the playoffs next year and gain valuable experience during off-season and summer play.

I am proud of the girls for dealing with so much adversity this year and making it to the playoffs. We dealt with everything imaginable and the girls never quit and always pushed when the going got tough. That is all I can ask for as a coach; that they never quit and go 100% all the time.

Notable Stats:
Hannah Wedding - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Kosi Ekwu - 11 points, 11 rebounds!!!, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 assist
Tierra Scott - 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 assists!!
Bridget O'Brien - 5 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound
DJ Sandidge - 6 rebounds, 2 points

PLAYOFF GAME INFORMATION

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:55:00 +0000

Playoff Game Information:

Level: Bi-District

Versus: Garland Naaman Forest (District 10-5A)

When: Monday February 15th, 2010

Time: 6:00pm

Where: Ellis Davis Fieldhouse in Dallas

**Note: Double header with Skyline and Garland Lakeview Centennial. They follow at 7:30pm.

WT White Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:37:00 +0000

Since we lost to Richardson; the girls knew they had to beat WT White to advance to the playoffs. There was no doubt in my mind that we would win. For one, it was senior night and I knew our team would play HARD for our seniors. For two, Tierra Scott was out because she got a stomach virus and I knew that her teammates would play for her as well.

The girls started out slow, and I think the seniors were somewhat still emotional from realizing it was their last home game at Lake Highlands High School. All three seniors started. I was nervous about Sam playing since she recently had her second ACL repair, but she promised me she would stay away from the action. I told her as soon as she had a shot to take it. I told her when she scored; she was coming out. I wanted her to score one last time on her home floor. She not only scored, she scored a BIG three from a foot off the three point line. It was pretty. Perfect form, nothing but net, and of course she shot 1 for 1 and was 100% on shooting for the night! I am so proud that she got to play one last time and score one last time as a senior!

The first quarter we won 13-11, the second quarter we won 17-7, the third quarter we won 18-7, and the fourth quarter we won 15-12. The girls did a great job in the second quarter to pull away before the half.

Bridget O'Brien and Hannah Wedding only played a little over half a game, but both stepped up in a big way to fill Tierra Scott's shoes. They both scored more than they usually do and Bridget O'Brien scored 19 points. This is not only her all-time high, but it is also our teams all-time high for this year. She filled it up and did a great job on defense and setting the tempo too.

Mary Potter also had a great game. She scored well and looked for her shot, but she also assisted her teammates. She had some great looks and passing angles. I was proud because we have struggled as a team with good passing and passing angles. She did a great job.

Notable Stats:
Bridget O'Brien - 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Hannah Wedding - 17 points, 2 of 2 free throws = 100%, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists
Kosi Ekwu - 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal
Mary Potter - 8 points, 5 assists!!, 1 steal, 1 rebound

Richardson Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:42:00 +0000

The girls lost a heart breaker at Richardson by only 5 points as we just could not finish and seal the deal. We were leading after the first quarter 12-10. We tied up the second quarter at the buzzer with Hannah Wedding's long three pointer to make it 11 all. We went into half time up 23-21.

We came out after half time with a few adjustments and lost 8-11. We were down 31-32 going into the fourth quarter. However, Richardson was worried about our vast improvements this season and held the ball at half court. We were glad to see them do this because we had four of five starters with three or more fouls. We had two players on the bench with two fouls, and we were all in foul trouble as a team. So, we just waited. Richardson held the ball the whole fourth quarter. With 3:30 left we picked up man. I should have waited until about 2 minutes left, but I rushed our defense. It was my fault. We were in a one point game with them and I should have waited a little bit longer. But, we picked up and one of their players pushed off trying to guard the ball and got an offensive call. It was just what we needed. We got the ball back and I called a time out and drew up a play. We threw the ball away instantly by trying to throw it in to the wrong person. We threw it in to the last possible option, who was not open and Richardson got the ball back.

To make a long three minutes short; we had every opportunity to win and did not finish. We threw the ball away left and right. We had half our turnovers in the 4th quarter for the whole night. The girls were under pressure and many have not been in that situation before. We beat ourselves as we only scored a measly 3 points to their 7. They won 39-34.

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scottt - 11 points, 4 steals, 1 rebounds, 1 assist
Kosi Ekwu - 9 points, 10 rebounds!!, 2 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal
Hannah Wedding - 5 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Bridget O'Brien - 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

District Standings (2 games left in district)

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:22:00 +0000

1st - Skyline 12-0

2nd - Richardson 9-3

2nd - Creekview 9-3

4th - Lake Highlands 7-5

5th - Berkner 6-6

6th - Sunset 3-9

7th - WT White 2-10

8th - Molina 0-12

Berkner Games = CLEAN SWEEP

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:09:00 +0000

All three of our teams beat the Berkner Lady Rams last night! The freshman started us off with a big win and a great game. The JV continued the sweep with an outstanding game and team play. And the Varsity sealed the deal beating Berkner 45-31.

Score by Quarters:
LH 14 15 11 5 45
B 2 14 5 10 31

The Varsity Lady Cats knew their playoff hopes were on the line. They went into the game tied with Berkner for the 4th place seed in district. Whoever won the game would be a game up and advance to the playoffs. The girls felt the pressure of winning, taking care of business on their home floor, and earning a spot in the playoffs, but the pressure only ignited a fire in them to WIN and WIN as a TEAM! They did just that...

Notable Stats:
Hannah Wedding - 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks!!, 1 steal, 1 assist
Tierra Scott - 11 points, 9 steals!!!!, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Bridget O'Brien - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 of 2 free throws
Kosi Ekwu - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 4 steals!!!

Note: Tierra Scott did NOT injury herself when she went down at the end of the 3rd quarter after being fouled on her power lay-up. She was just cramping and that is why she did not play in the 4th quarter. Don't worry; she is ready for Richardson! : )

Sunset Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:30:00 +0000

The Lady Wildcats defeated Sunset 51-36. Our first group did a great job and set the tempo.

Score by Quarters:
LH 23 11 7 10
S 4 9 12 11

Bridget O'Brien pushed the ball well, did a great job on defense, and assisted her teammates with 7 total assists! I am thrilled to see Bridget really start to look and act like a true point guard. Her decision making is getting better and better from the point guard position and she is seeing the floor really well too.

Harlie Greer is also peaking at the right time. She went 5 of 5 from the field. I love to see good moves and inside shots. She was 100% from the block/paint. Great job Harlie!

Hannah Wedding also did an outstanding job inside and as a forward. She went 5 of 6 from the field.

Jessi Youman lit up the three point line and made 3 of 4 threes for 75%. Jessi has been working on her shot form and follow through. She has always made threes in practice and shot well outside, but sometimes it did not transfer to a game the way she had hoped. She transferred her shooting skills perfectly against Sunset. She had an overall great game with 5 boards and 2 steals. Good job Jess!

Notable Stats:
Hannah Wedding - 10 points, 5 of 6 FG, 8 rebounds, 1 assist
Harlie Greer -10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Jessi Youman - 9 points, 5 rebounds!!, 2 steals, 1 assist
Bridget O'Brien - 8 points, 7 assists!!!!, 4 steals!!!!!, 2 rebounds

Question of the Week #5

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:43:00 +0000

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Where will Sam being going to school and playing collegiate basketball???

Sam is officially a Trinity University TIGER!!!

CONGRATS Sam on your outstanding accomplishment! We cannot wait to see you play again next year!

Did you know??
Trinity Ranked in the Top 10
The Tiger women's basketball team has been ranked in the top 10 in the WBCA poll

Skyline

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:30:00 +0000

We did well at the beginning of the game and the girls executed our game plan perfectly. After the first quarter the final score was 13-16 Skyline. We did not close the quarter well, but the girls were tied up 13-13 seconds before the quarter was over.

From there, it was a tough game and did not go the way we planned. Skyline is a highly skilled, savvy, athletic, strong, and heavily loaded senior team. We lost the second quarter 14-25 and were down by 14 at half time.

The main thing I noticed was that we were not able to sub without a drop off. I know it is hard to come off the bench into a war like we have with Skyline, but we have to do a better job of it. There were NUMEROUS turnovers when we began subbing. I do not know if the girls just could not get jump started and get going in the game quick enough, if the starters had to do too much, or if the starters got out of rhythm because they were subbed, but I believe it was a combination of many things... including Skyline get frazzled with the score and began playing explosive defense.

We have got to have four strong quarters and go hard from the time the whistle sounds until the buzzer ends the game. I know I have said this before, but we have not seen this at all this year really. When we got four of our five starters in foul trouble and they had to sit the 3rd quarter or parts of it; it killed us. Skyline is a struggle for our veterans, but it was overwhelming for our newbies. They got inside the paint well, scored easily, and created havoc on defense forcing turnovers left and right. We only scored a measly 4 points in the 3rd quarter and that killed us!
In the 4th they outscored us 18-11.

Notable Stats:
Bridget O'Brien - 10 points, 2 assists, 3 steals
Harlie Greer - 10 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal
Kosi Ekwu - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Hannah Wedding - 7 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal
Tierra Scott - 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist

Molina Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:31:00 +0000

The girls came out and played well as a team against Molina. Molina has improved this year and even though they are at the bottom of our district; I can see their development in a short period of time.

Our girls played well and played team ball for four quarters. We wanted to put the Creekview loss behind us and take care of the basketball, knock down our shots, run our offenses, block out, and get in good defensive position as a team... and the girls did just that.

First, it was the Jessi Youman show. I was extremely proud of Jessi. She not only scored double digits (something I need her or others to do on our team every game); she also made 3 of 4 three pointers and played her best game of the season.

Second, all the girls played hard and we subbed a little bit differently than we did the first time we played them, and I believe the girls found a rhythm better because of the way we were subbing.

We won 68-14.

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 14 points, 8 rebounds!, 5 steals!!, 1 assist, 1 block
Hannah Wedding - 11 points, 10 rebounds!!, 6 steals!!, 1 assist, 1 block
Jessi Youman - 11 points, 75% from 3 pt line, 2 steals, 2 assists, 1 rebound
Kosi Ekwu - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Bridget O'Brien - 7 points, 2 steals, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 of 1 FT = 100%
Katie Spurgin - 6 points, 2 of 2 FT = 100%, 4 rebounds, 1 block

Creekview Game - Round 2

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:18:00 +0000

Creekview came out and played extremely hard the entire game. I was very impressed with their team play, determination and drive. We got down early and were in shock with their thunderous start, but got on track in the second half. However, it was too little too late. We had to foul to try to get the ball back and they did a great job on the free throw line. We closed it within 6, 8, and 10 twice, but could never get over the hump and close in on the win.

After the half I was very impressed with our team effort. Hannah Wedding started the run and took the team on her shoulders, and then I saw outstanding effort from the whole team. Bridget and Kosi really stepped up for us when we were fighting to come back offensively and defensively. But, we have to have four strong quarters... not two.

So, we beat them on their court and they didn't like it and came back to our place and beat us on our home floor. We split with them and our goal is to split with Skyline, Berkner and Richardson in our upcoming games.

Score By Quarters:
LH 8 3 12 19 42
C 20 5 11 19 55

Notable Stats:
Hannah Wedding - 15 points, 4 steals!, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Tierra Scott - 10 points, 5 steals!!, 2 assists
Kosi Ekwu - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Bridget O'Brien - 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Question of the Week #4

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:59:00 +0000

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How are we sitting after the first district games? Who has beaten who? How do you feel about playing everyone again? How many games do we have to win to go to the playoffs?

COACH MULLIGAN'S ANSWER: First, that is technically four questions. : ) However, there were about four weeks around Christmas that I didn't get a question, so I will answer all of them. Plus, I really like these type of questions and I get them every year.

After the first round of play the district is as follows:
1st - Skyline 7-0
2nd - Richardson 6-1 (lost to Skyline)
3rd - Lake Highlands 4-3 (lost to Skyline, Richardson, Berkner)
3rd - Berkner 4-3 (lost to Skyline, Richardson, Creekview)
3rd - Creekview 4-3 (lost to Skyline, Richardson, Lake Highlands)
6th - Sunset 2-5 (lost to the preceding five)
7th - W.T. White 1-6 (lost to the preceding six)
8th - Molina 0-7

I feel great about playing everyone again because the first round was technically harder than the second round for us because we had a lot of away games. We play Skyline, Berkner, and Creekview at home. I am very pleased about this. I think the girls will dominate on their home floor, and I think we will be ready to play at home. I am hoping that all our fans show up for our last home games and we have good fan support to lead us onto victory. We have had VERY few home games this year because of scheduling issues, and we want the girls to get confidence on their home floor and have more home games for their community. In fact, we play Creekview at home on Tuesday to start the second round and it is a huge game for us as we are in a three way tie for third right now with them and Berkner. We really need to win and we need everyone in Lake Highlands there cheering us on to victory!

I do not know how many games we "have" to win to go to the playoffs. I try to just go game by game and hope we have enough wins at the end to get in! I believe everyone will beat everyone in this district and I hope we take care of business on our end. I hope to beat Creekview, Berkner, and Richardson this round and of course Sunset, WT White and Molina as well. If we could go at least 6-1 and maybe knock off Skyline at home and go 7-0; that would be great!!

I do think we need to beat Sunset, WT White and Molina for sure and knock off at least two of the four to get in to the playoffs out of Skyline, Richardson, Creekview and Berkner. But, as they say, "you never know who will win, until you play the game." So, we will see who beats who and how many we "have" to win as the second round progresses.

GO CATS!

W.T. White

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:44:00 +0000

The girls finished the first round of district on a great note as they defeated the Longhorns 48-23. We won the first quarter 15-2, the second quarter 12-3, and went into halftime up 27-5 . We lost the 3rd quarter 11-12 and won the 4th quarter 10-6.

Our leading scorer was off tonight shooting wise and Bridget O'Brien stepped up and filled those shoes for us perfectly. Bridget has promised me recently that she would become an offensive threat and "get her shot back"; however, I did not expect her to answer in the way that she did. She played great and went from scoring 3 points against Richardson to 12 tonight. She also pushed the ball down the floor and got our offensive tempo set. Her FG% was a measly 14% against Richardson and she came out and made a statement as she shot the ball well and redeemed her FG% with 42%.

Tierra Scott has been challenging the team all year to help her out and be an offensive and defensive threat, so she did not "have to do everything"; well, Bridget responded loud and clear as she lead the team in scoring offensively and did an outstanding job on defense as well.

I am also proud of the way Kosi took care of business on the free throw line. We have not been shooting well in a game on the free throw line. Our girls make so many free throws in practice, but in a game, under pressure; we were missing our shots. Kosi did a great job and led as a senior as as hit 6 of 7. She scored in double digits because of her free throw shooting, and we need double digits from Kosi in every game the second round.

I think we are right where we need to be as a team headed into the second round.

Notable Stats:
Bridget O'Brien - 12 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals!!
Kosi Ekwu - 10 points, 6 of 7 free throws, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
Hannah Wedding - 7 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Harlie Greer - 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Tierra Scott - 4 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 6 steals!!!
Katie Spurgin - 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Richardson Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:36:00 +0000

We had a devastating week as we lost to both Berkner and Richardson. I believe we should have won both games and could have easily if we could take care of the basketball and make good decisions as a team. We are rushing our passes, rushing our offenses, or trying to do too much and it is resulting in losses. The girls are working hard to correct these mistakes, but it is hard to beat anyone, especially good defensive teams that hustle, if you do not take care of the basketball.

The girls came out strong and looked great the first quarter and won 12-10. We dropped off in the second quarter and lost 8-15. We tried to come out strong the 3rd quarter and get back in the game, but we lost 4-9. We lost the 4th quarter 7-13 after having to foul the last few possessions to try to get the ball back.

We fouled purposely and tried to get the ball back for 6 of their free throws, but the other ones we were not trying to foul. They shot 39 total free throws!!!! (to our 16) It was completely unbalanced and we will not beat anyone if we let them shoot almost 40 free shots in one game. If we were able to shoot 39; I believe we would have won. You cannot put a team on the free throw line that many times.

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Hannah Wedding - 7 points, 60% FG shooting!!, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Harlie Greer - 5 points, 3 rebounds

Besides these three; I didn't feel our team came ready to play and we did not play the way we should on our home floor.

I think we will come out strong against W.T. White and play well as a team.

Berkner Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:36:00 +0000

The Lady Wildcats lost a heartbreaker to Berkner 39-40. I know Berkner got the win, but they did not beat us; we definitely beat ourselves. We were off as a team shooting wise and taking care of the ball. Players who are usually strong scorers were off and we just could not shoot out of the slump.

The player who was on and shooting well was Tierra Scott. She made 6 of 8 field goals, and was our leading scorer with 12 points. However, Tierra only played a little less than two quarters total because of foul trouble. She got two fouls in the first quarter and then her third and fourth were almost back to back. Tierra does not come off the floor at all really for our team. She has amazing defense and has stayed out of foul trouble all year. However, she got in it quick and stayed in it. She was playing well and shooting well, but we played half a game without her. The pressure to fill her shoes, as well as Sam's shoes blew the minds of the rest of our team.

Sharp shooters, fellow captains, and leaders fell under pressure and it affected their shooting and their turnovers. Hannah Wedding did a great job rebounding and assisting her teammates. She had 7 rebounds and 6 assists. However, she went 4 of 15 shooting field goals and 0 of 2 from the 3 pt. line. She also struggled on the free throw line where she missed 5 of 8 free throws. She is a great shooter and the pressure and wanting to win so bad; just got to her. She still had 11 points, but she could have easily made 20 or 30 points. Bridget O'Brien also struggled while missing all her shots. However, she did not shoot the ball many times.

Kosi Ekwu had her best game this year and dominated at the post position. She had 9 points and 18 rebounds!!!! (The most she has had in both stats all year) However, she missed 5 free throws as did Hannah and missed her last free throw with 1.2 seconds on the clock. She was down because we lost by one point; however, it was not this single free throw that lost the game for us. We lost because of our missed shots and not taking care of the basketball. We had WAY too many turnovers as a team.

Just between the posts alone; we missed 12 free throws. We could have easily won by 20. They made their free throws in the final minutes and we missed ours. It cannot happen in our district. The teams are too competitive and can finish.

We will focus on our shooting and taking care of the ball this week in practice. We are now tied in district with Berkner 3-2. We play Richardson on Friday.

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 12 points, 3 steals
Hannah Wedding - 11 points, 6 assists!!!, 7 rebounds
Kosi Ekwu - 9 points, 18 rebounds!!!!!, 2 blocks

Question of the Week #3

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:38:00 +0000

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How bad is Sam injured from the Skyline game? When will she be back?

COACH MULLIGAN'S ANSWER: Sam did retear her ACL and meniscus. She had surgery on Dec. 31st and it went well. She will only be a coach and leader from the sidelines this year for us; however, she does plan on playing in college. She has numerous offers on the table at this time. She is leaning towards one, but I will let you ask her which one. : )

Duncanville Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:04:00 +0000

We entered the Duncanville Tournament again this year to play with the big dogs. This tournament is truly the best teams in the state, and I believe it has some of the best teams in the nation in it as well. Every single team is outstanding and every game is great. Although we did not walk away with a win this year; it is a great experience for the girls to see great play, face great competition, and go head to head with Division 1 players.

Our first game we played Frisco High School, a team known for their talent, great play, and outstanding athletes. The team has a lot of seniors this year and they all play hard and want to win. Tony Dorsett's daughter is finally a senior. She signed with Texas Tech. She scored 21 of the teams 75 against us. Moore signed with Texas and had 12 against us. I know that other seniors have signed, but I am unsure of where they are going. Regardless, my team saw an outstanding team with Division 1 players and it was the best preparation for district games to come.

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 14 points, 4 steals, 2 assists
Mary Potter - 8 points, shot 100% including 2 of 2 three pointers

The second game we faced Colleyville Heritage. They are also an outstanding team who played in the Regional Quarter Finals last year. I personally enjoyed watching their point guard play, as did our girls. She is a true point guard and sees the floor well and knows how to run the offense, run the team, and make her team go. We do not have a true point guard and we have put a lot of girls in the position, but they have trouble understanding exactly what we want. The girls saw an excellent example in the point guard play of Standish. She had 21 points against us, numerous assists, and shot 100% from the free throw line and got to the line from her great drives.

Score by Quarters:
LH 9 12 13 15 49
CH 18 16 15 19 68

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 16 points, 3 steals
Hannah Wedding - 13 points, 3 assists
Mary Potter - 5 points
DJ Sandidge - 6 rebounds, 2 steals

Our final game was against a private school, Presbyterian Christian. They are a polished school who is fundamentally sound. Their team works hard on defense and tries to out work their competition. That is exactly what they did against us. They just went hard all four quarters and finished as a team. We started slow and sluggish. We picked up the pace, but it was too little too late. Their strong 1st quarter haunted us the rest of the game.

Score by Quarters:
LH 8 13 5 11 37
PC 17 13 8 9 47

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Hannah Wedding - 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Kosi Ekwu - 4 points, 3 blocks, 1 steal
DJ Sandidge - 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist

We went home after our loss on Tuesday and practiced on everything we needed to go over and correct while it was fresh on our minds. The five day break was evident when we played and we needed to review positioning and our defensive team unit more than anything. We also focused on post play working together and guards taking care of the ball. We had too many turnovers and were not seeing the defense. I think we have corrected our mistakes and are ready for district play to resume soon.

We will face Berkner on Tuesday and Richardson on Friday. It is a big week for us!

Sunset Game - 3-1 in district!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:47:00 +0000

The Lady Wildcats improved their district record to 3-1 on Tuesday against Dallas Sunset. The Cats started off slow as they had exhausted themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally in the Skyline game days before. After half time adjustments including defensive rotations mostly and positioning; they picked up the pace and won 69-37 after a strong 3rd quarter performance.

Game By Quarters:
LH 9 19 27 14 69
S 8 9 8 12 37

Notable Stats:
Hannah Wedding - 17 points, 2 of 2 free throws = 100%, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 assist
Kosi Ekwu - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
Tierra Scott - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Bridget O'Brien - 8 points, 5 steals!!!, 5 assists!!
Katie Spurgin - 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block
Jessi Youman - 8 points

Skyline Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:29:00 +0000

The Lady Wildcats ventured over to Forester Fieldhouse to take on the reigning district champions. Skyline defeated the Lady Cats 69-47; however, the score does not reflect how great of a game it was. The Lady Wildcats played well as a team. Freshman Harlie Greer sparked the team on the press with her defense and then scored well in the paint on offense. Harlie always plays better against great teams and rises to the occasion. Skyline was not worried about the team because they knew one person could not defeat their senior loaded team. They won the first quarter 21-12.

However, the Lady Cats followed Harlie's lead and began playing hard as a team and leaving it all on the floor. Tierra Scott harassed the team with her defense. Sam Couch broke their press with the help of teammates. Bridget O'Brien pushed the ball and set the tempo. Skyline didn't realize how bad that the Lady Cats wanted to defeat them and be district champs this year, and not runner-ups. Lake Highlands won the second quarter 13-9.

In the second half Sam Couch rotated out of a sideline trap and hurt her knee. She was helped off the floor and it took the wind out of the team to see their senior leader go down for the second time this year. The Lady Cats went in at half time down 25-30. It was definitely a game!

The third quarter Skyline came out and made a few adjustments. Barret came out strong for Skyline and led their team with six 3rd quarter points. Skyline won the third quarter 18-10. The Lady Wildcats were still going strong, but were growing tired from pressing the whole game and having a thinner/younger bench than Skyline.

In the 4th quarter Skyline sealed the deal as they rotated in and out fresh legs constantly and defeated LH 21-12.

I was not pleased with how many points we gave up the 1st and 4th quarters. But, I am extremely proud of the effort from our team, the team play, the defensive stops and hard work. If we would have played this hard all year as a team; our record would almost be perfect. We just have to start strong and finish strong.

Notable Stats:
Harlie Greer - 11 points, 3 of 3 free throws = 100%, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Hannah Wedding - 9 points
Tierra Scott - 8 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Bridget O'Brien - 8 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
Kosi Ekwu - 6 rebounds, 3 blocks

Question of the Week #2

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:21:00 +0000

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is the most enjoyable thing about coaching? What is the most frustrating thing about coaching?

COACH MULLIGAN'S ANSWER: I like this two part question. First, the most enjoyable thing about coaching for me is seeing my athletes succeed. It is the best feeling in the world to see them accomplish something in a game or practice that you are teaching. When they get it right in a game; it is such a great feeling. You are so proud of them and I love to see them try to hold back a grin. It is just like being a parent and seeing your child excel in something. You are just so thrilled for them and proud. The most frustrating thing about coaching is when you work on something in practice and focus on it in practice, and the hard work is not transferred to the game. When you dedicate time and energy to a particular part of the game and then the team does the exact opposite in the game... as a coach; it is very frustrating. But, that is why we go over and over everything we do and drill fundamentals.

Molina Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:40:00 +0000

The Varsity Lady Cats are 2-0 in district. We won 58-10 against Molina. This is the first game we had our whole team back!! FINALLY!! It has been a long and rocky preseason, but it has paid off for district. The girls are playing well as a TEAM and relying on each other to win.

Score by Quarters

LH 17 9 20 12
M 2 6 0 2

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 10 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3 rebounds
Sam Couch - 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Harlie Greer - 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
Bridget O'Brien - 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists
Hannah Wedding - 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist
DJ Sandidge - 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 2 assists
Kosi Ekwu - 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

We battle reigning district Champion Skyline on Friday at Forester Fieldhouse. Hope to see you there!

Weeeeee'rrrrrrreeeeee Baaaaaaacccccccccckkkkk!!! 1-0 in District!!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:47:00 +0000

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 4th 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 4th 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

Collin County Roundball Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:56:00 +0000

The Varsity is in the Collin County Roundball Classic this week, December 3rd-5th. We started our first round of play against Plano who we faced at the beginning of this year as well. We lost 60-23. Our team is having trouble scoring right now. We are getting shots, even shots inside the paint, but we are not knocking down easy baskets. The girls are working hard in practice on shot form, shooting, and creating shots. But, they are not able to do these same things in game situations. We will get all this worked out by district next week.

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 10 points, 6 steals
Bridget O'Brien - 8 rebounds
Harlie Greer - 6 rebounds

Did Not Play:
Sam Couch
Kosi Ekwu
Hannah Wedding
D.J. Sandidge

The second game the Lady Wildcats faced Aubrey. Aubrey is a fundamentally sound team with excellent shooters and players with a high basketball IQ. Although the Lady Cats battled with Aubrey they fell short 32-44. We saw some good things for sure defensively this game; however, we want to focus on shooting, shot selection, and making our free throws.

LH 6 5 12 9
A 9 13 10 12

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
Mary Potter - 5 points, 2 steals, 4 rebounds
Jessi Youman - 5 points, 2 steals
Harlie Greer - 5 points, 5 rebounds

Did Not Play:
Sam Couch
Kosi Ekwu
Hannah Wedding
D.J. Sandidge

In our final game in the Collin County Roundball Classic; we played McKinney Boyd on their home floor. I am so proud of the way the girls battled with Boyd. They played a game that we are proud of even though we did not win because we turned a corner. We saw glimpses of greatness. We are fired up heading into district.

We are focusing on closing the quarters better. A player from Boyd put up a three from half court at the end of the 1st quarter and it went in to make it 20 versus 17. The third quarter we were trying to get one shot off with 12 remaining seconds and we missed at 6 seconds and gave them time to go score 2 more points that quarter.

Our defense and positioning looked better. We are still working on post play and post positioning and defense. It is tough with our three starting posts out at this time. But, Katie, Harlie, and Tiera Bickham have gotten valuable playing time that is worth its weight in gold.
We are still focusing on making our free throws and better shot selection and shooting.

LH 10 10 12 12 44
Boyd 20 12 13 13 58

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 16 points, 4 assists, 4 steals,
Divinity Dixon - 6 points, 4 rebounds
Bridget O'Brien - 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Jessi Youman - 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals
Mary Potter - 4 points, 2 steals, 2 assists
Katie Spurgin - 4 points, 4 rebounds
Tiera Bickham - 4 points

Did Not Play:
Sam Couch
Kosi Ekwu
Hannah Wedding
D.J. Sandidge

Allen Games

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:13:00 +0000

The Lady Wildcats got a long three day break for Thanksgiving. It was a much needed break for all of us and I thought it would help to come back refreshed and rejuvenated. We looked rested; however, we seemed a bit rusty too. The girls started off slow and were not doing well in transition defense or defensive positioning. However, after the game was under way and we made minor adjustments; we were pleased with our defensive stops and boards. However, we have got to have four solid quarters... not three! We will accomplish this goal soon!

Game by Quarters
LH 4 6 5 8
Allen 17 9 9 10

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 12 points, 9 steals!!!
Bridget O'Brien - 5 points, 3 steals
Divinity Dixon - 6 rebounds

Wylie Game

noreply@blogger.com (Holly Mulligan) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:07:00 +0000

The Varsity fell short in Wylie 40-62. We are trying to focus on playing four strong quarters. The girls are for some reason very anxious still during the 1st quarter and seem to be intimidated to just go out there and play. We get warmed up and compete during the 2nd half and end of the 1st half, but we have got to have four strong quarters against every team we play. Our schedule is loaded with great competition and we have to play strong all four quarters to win!

Game by Quarters

LH 4 11 9 16
W 13 14 21 14

Notable Stats:
Tierra Scott - 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals
Jessi Youman - 11 points
Sam Couch - 7 points, 2 of 2 FT = 100%