Lady Bulldogs searching for new scorers to step up
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
A week of practice wasn’t long enough for the Lady Bulldog coach to know what kind of team he has.
With only one returning starter from last year’s 11-13 team and only two players on the team with significant playing time at the varsity level, Mission coach Les Rice said it may take all season before he finds out.
“With only a couple of players that have really played together I think we will be growing and changing all year,” Rice said. “We’ll need some of the younger kids to step up, but what kids and what roles they’ll play, I not really sure of.”
“I can’t even tell you which ones will get a varsity uniform because I don’t know yet,” he added.
Kyla Mitchell is the only returning starter. The senior came on strong at the end of last year. The forward was Mission’s second leading scorer last season and one of their leading rebounders. Rice said Mitchell will probably be their main offensive threat this year.
“She has the ability to get a shot off anywhere on the court, it’s just a matter of her making the shots. If she could finish more consistently she should have a big year,” Rice said.
Ashley Courville, a junior, was the Lady Bulldogs’ sixth-man last year and often provided a spark off the bench with her defense. Rice said Courville will be their defensive leader again this year, but he also expects and needs her to become more offensive minded. Courville can play the post or guard.
Loren Erickson and Stephanie Lewandowski, both sophomores, will see a lot of playing time in the guard position. Though both have little varsity experience after watching them handle the pressure of varsity volleyball, Rice said he isn’t too worried.
“It’s going to be a work in progress. I’m not too concerned about their experience. It will probably be a point guard by committee until they fall into certain roles,” Rice said.
Bryanna Steele should fill out the Lady Bulldogs’ starting roster. At 5-foot-9 Steele is the Lady Bulldogs’ tallest player and should help Mitchell down low. Rice said Steele, who led the junior varsity team last year in scoring, quietly scores and pulls down rebounds.
“She’s one of those players that can get a lot of numbers without really dominating a game,” Rice said. “She has a real quick shot and a real soft touch around the basket.”
Last year the Lady Bulldogs didn’t score a lot of points and relied on their defense to win games. Rice said unfortunately this will probably be the case this year too.
“We’ll probably be in the same boat again this year, I hope not, but we’ll see... honestly we’re going to go through a lot of changes because how young we are. We have a cast of characters that have never played together, but they’re showing great enthusiasm and working hard. We’ll just need some young players to step up,” Rice said.
The young players will get their first chance to step up Dec. 10 when they travel to Alberton. The Lady Bulldogs host Superior Dec. 11.
