Everyone wary of Lady Mustangs now
No one saw it coming.
Laurel Highlands无毛视频� girls basketball team took the WPIAL by storm a season ago, rolling into the final four for just the second time in school history, notching its first PIAA win and ending the season with a sparkling 21-5 overall record.
Sure the Lady Mustangs had taken a big step up the previous season in Stewart Davis无毛视频� first year as coach when they went 12-12 during the regular season and lost a playoff game to Highlands.
A nine-win improvement and three postseason victories seemed like a longshot, though, for a team with a small roster and thin bench, but that无毛视频檚 exactly what LH did.
There won无毛视频檛 be any sneaking up on teams this year, however.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got a big bullseye on our back now,无毛视频� said third-year coach Davis who lost no players to graduation.
Davis actually felt his squad could无毛视频檝e done better last season.
无毛视频淚 thought last year we had opportunities to win that last game,无毛视频� Davis said of a 45-36 loss to Fairview in the PIAA second round when LH built a big early lead. 无毛视频淚 think we just ran out of gas.
无毛视频淪o this year the offseason was very important. They hit some camps up. I kept the girls busy in the weight room and running, and helped them learn that it takes a lot more, you can无毛视频檛 just take the offseason off and then show up and think you无毛视频檙e ready.无毛视频�
Now Davis has to make sure his players don无毛视频檛 read their own clippings and lose the laser-like focus they had a year ago.
无毛视频淏eing in Fayette County, you only have so many schools and the community is basketball heavy,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檝e got the student body and all these other people telling them how good they无毛视频檙e going to be, so it takes some humbleness.
无毛视频淭hey took some humble pie coming in here being a little lethargic at the beginning. You无毛视频檝e just got to get after them a little bit, push them, and I think they无毛视频檙e at a point where they无毛视频檙e starting to gel in practice and they无毛视频檙e loving the process of working harder.
无毛视频淎s long as we stay connected as we did in the summer 无毛视频� we played some tough teams, Wheeling Park, Wheeling Central, Norwin 无毛视频� I expect us to have a fairly good season. But we无毛视频檙e obviously going to concentrate on one game at a time.无毛视频�
The Lady Mustangs无毛视频� trademark was a harassing defense a year ago and that won无毛视频檛 change with all five starters coming back.
无毛视频淥ur returning starting seniors will be Miya Harris and Aryianna Sumpter,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淪umpter led us in scoring last year. She was definitely our motor, offensively. Miya, a good shooter ball handler, will follow up behind her. She had some really big games in the playoffs for us.
无毛视频淲ho carries us is Aierra Jenkins. She无毛视频檚 a junior who worked all summer and played AAU along with Sumpter. She无毛视频檚 been in the gym constantly. She无毛视频檚 gone to trainers, she无毛视频檚 been here with me everyday. She无毛视频檚 probably been working out twice a day in the summer so she无毛视频檚 coming back a little different.无毛视频�
Rounding out the starting five are a pair of solid sophomores.
无毛视频淥ur other two starters are the two Taylors, Taylor Schwertfeger and Taylor Irwin,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淪chwertfeger did a heck of a job defensively last year as a freshman, and she worked on her shot, she worked on her ball handling so she should bring more of a skill set offensively this year.
无毛视频淚rwin surprised teams last year with her jump shot. She hit some big ones in the playoffs. She is stronger. She worked in the weight room and was on the soccer team so she无毛视频檚 used to contact and defensively she无毛视频檚 moving her feet better.无毛视频�
The top player off the bench will again be Righteous Richardson, the third senior on the team.
无毛视频淩ighteous worked all summer as well. She was locked in,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淪he gave me valuable minutes defensively but she comes in this year with a little more confidence in her offensive game.无毛视频�
Rounding out the 10-player roster are junior transfer Madison Brooks, sophomores Isabella Paschke and Lola Mikluscak and freshman Chloe Price.
无毛视频淩ighteous will be the first one off the bench but I hope to maybe go seven or eight deep this season,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淟ast year we ran out of gas so this year we need to find some minutes from a few other girls.无毛视频�
The Lady Mustangs are again in a slightly altered Section 3-AAAA where they finished second last year. Back are section champion Elizabeth Forward, which handed LH three of its five losses, including one in a postseason state placement game, along with Belle Vernon, Ringgold and Southmoreland. Gone are Unionitown and West Mifflin with South Park, Mount Pleasant and Yough coming in.
无毛视频淥bviously the top dog is still EF,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淭hey won it last year and the previous year so we无毛视频檝e still got to go through them.无毛视频�
The Lady Mustangs and Lady Warriors both made the WPIAL semifinals last season. Laurel Highlands blasted Quaker Valley, 65-29, and upended Highlands, 45-33, before falling to eventual PIAA champion Blackhawk, 51-32. LH defeated Johnstown, 51-48, in the first round of the state tournament for its landmark win.
Davis has three assistant coaches that he relies on.
无毛视频淢y top assistant is John Robinson who无毛视频檚 been with the program for some time now,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淚 also have Ryan Schwertfeger and Mike Irwin. We无毛视频檝e got a good core of coaches. We bounce off each other well.无毛视频�