By Shelley Ebbrecht
Fans will see a lineup of familiar faces on the court for the Lockwood Lady Tigers this season. With no seniors on last year’s squad, head coach Kara Kinney brings back her entire varsity roster and will rely on their experience to give them an edge on the competition.
“We have been a young team for a couple years and I am looking forward to a big jump in our maturity with all the experience from last year,” Kinney said.
The Lady Tigers’ leading scorer, junior Rylee Neill, will be back and shooting to surpass 1,000 career points. Neill averaged over 19 points per game last season and is currently sitting at 891 total points in her first two seasons. With Neill knocking down 50 shots beyond the arc in her sophomore campaign, Kinney said the stats reflect her versatility on the offensive end of the court.
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“Rylee is a great long range threat and has the ability to get to the basket,” she said.
Neill will be joined on the court by the rest of last year’s letter winners, including key players Moriah Coose and Olivia Nentrup who combined for nearly 20 points per game last season. Kinney said the team is well-rounded and specializes in creating offense from their defense.
“All of our varsity squad were major contributors,” Kinney said. “We rely on defensive pressure to create a lot of our offense.”
Kinney is beginning her ninth year as head coach. She coached three years in Oklahoma before coming to Lockwood six years ago. Her Lady Tigers finished 19-8 last season after losing to Adrian in the semifinals of the District Tournament. With no incoming freshman, Kinney said the experienced squad spent the off season honing their ball-handling skills.
“We would like to be stronger with the ball and take care of the ball on each possession,” she said.
The Lockwood Lady Tigers open their schedule on the road November 18 at Dadeville before hosting their home opener against Ash Grove on November 21. The two tournaments on the docket for the team are the Diamond Tournament on November 28 and the Golden City Tournament January 9.
Kinney said her expectations for the season are to be competitive in every matchup.
“We want to be able to compete with every team we play, compete for a conference and district title and move on in the post season as far as possible.”
