Lady Cats Struggle Out of
Starting Gates, but Finally Find Their Form;
Colston Has Tomcats Inspired to Win
After weeks of high hopes and big dreams, the Tom Bean Lady Cats basketball team was ready to take on the task that had been handed to them. Their goal: to live up to all the hype created by last year’s playoff appearance. With the majority of last season’s varsity squad returning, plus the addition of a few key players, the ladies seemed destined for a solid year. Then, the actual play began, and it didn’t start well.
Despite some dominating performances in pre-season games, the Lady Cats just couldn’t find a way to win, dropping their first four games to Trenton, Lovejoy, Bonham, and Melissa. Thankfully, none were district opponents; however, it was still frustrating for the girls after having such high hopes about the season. I decided to ask Coach Martinez about the slow start, and she said that they were having a lot of things go wrong at that time.
“We are practicing everyday to turn these things around and will be ready come time for district,” said Martinez. The ladies were finally able to turn things around with a 54-50 win over Prestonwood Christian in a Melissa sponsored tournament. The girls finished that same tournament with a crushing 58-28 win over Anna. In fact, after dropping four games in the beginning, the ladies have bounced back to a four game winning streak which they will be looking to extend during a tournament in Bland.
I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the girls in action against Leonard during a scrimmage. I noticed that one of the problems that really stuck out, in my opinion, was the hard time they had in transitioning from offense to defense. The Lady Cats were often caught off guard due to the quick Leonard attacks. This has been fixed however, and the next time the Tigers came to town, this time in a real game, they had a much more difficult time breaking down the Tom Bean defense. It should be mentioned, though, that this year’s team is not as tall as it has been in the past. Thankfully, 5’10’’ junior Kayla Hastings adds some height.
As for the offense, the ladies seem to prefer outside shots and driving to the basket rather than looking directly underneath the basket. This type of play requires a lot of good, solid, smart passing and intelligent plays on the ball. This is where senior Lindsey Lacy comes in. She is very smart with the ball, and rarely makes preventable mistakes. Though she is not the fastest, Lacy is smooth with the ball; bobbing and weaving her way as she drives to the basket. Lindsey is also a smart passer. She knows what to do with the ball, and when to do it. Lacy also seems to have great chemistry with Leslie Fulton, as the two will often combine to make some stylish plays.
“I definitely think that this is my best year. I feel that, since I’m a senior, I really need to step up and be a leader. So, I think that has boosted my confidence a little bit,” said Lacy about her outstanding play so far. Since she seems like one of the team leaders, I asked her how the girls felt about one of the main complaints the girls have this year: their lack of height.
“We’re not very tall, but we’re pretty fast. So, we can beat people up and down the floor. I think that’s going to help us throughout the year,” said Lacy who has no less than a team leading 98 points so far this season. Many of those came with the help of her long time team mate, and long time varsity member, Leslie Fulton.
“We’ve been playing together since we were like six or seven years old. So, we can read each other really well, and just knowing each other makes us work good together,” Lindsey said as Fulton, right on cue, walked by outside the library (the chemistry is so scary!!). The last question I asked was about the prospect of playoffs. It came as somewhat of a surprise last year, and the girls are hoping for a repeat.
“We have some big shoes to fill, but I think it’s definitely possible if we play to our best potential.”
I believe that Lindsey should be the preferred point guard the majority of the time, but there are times when more speed is needed. Junior Shay Cavender fits into this category perfectly. Her quick feet and fast legs provide a quick counter attacking style of play that leads to sizeable scoring drives.
So, that is how they get down the court. Now, how do the Lady Cats take care of it from there? One option is to dish the ball off to senior Kirsten Lyons or junior Kayla Hastings. The pair are both strong on the posts, both offensively and defensively. Any way you score, the ladies have it covered. So, why has it been so hard for them to find a win this year?
A lot of the girls will say that they just have that one bad quarter, and that determines the rest of the game. I can’t say that I found that ‘one bad quarter’ during the November 19th win against Leonard, but they did seem to have a couple of dry spells every once in a while. The big story is this: after a slow start, Martinez has the girls functioning properly. I look forward to more wins and some outstanding play from a great group of young players.
-Lady Cats Scores:
v. Trenton- 46-56 L
@ Lovejoy- 42-45 L
v. Bonham- 42-59 L
@ Melissa- 24-68 L
v. Prestonwood- 54-50 W
v. Anna- 58-28 W
v. Leonard- 38-37 W
v. Van Alstyne- 45-31 W
Red- Melissa Tournament
-Upcoming Games:
v. Campbell 11/29
@ Anna 12/4
JV Leonard Tournament Dec. 6th and 8th
v. Sunnyvale (freshmen only) 12/10
-Green- Bland Tournament (other games are to follow in the tournament. Check the schedule on Lady Cats’ webpage.)
As for the boys, their start has been a solid one. The Cats provided the fans with a lot to talk about after knocking off Bonham by a score of 51-48. It was a thriller of a game, and the Tomcats truly showed their best quality: they never gave up. For the whole entire game, no matter what the score may be, those guys never stop playing their hearts out.
“I was really just happy it was over. I really wanted it to be a success for the guys,” said Coach Colston about the big win over Bonham. Colston says he believes the reason for the upset was the belief his team has in themselves, each other, and the basketball program in general. There’s no doubt he has his players rallied behind him in hopes that they can bring back the support for boys basketball seen in years past. The kind of play seen against Bonham is certainly a way to attract fans and future players alike.