Sports
Lady Indians rebuilding with young Tribe
By Griffin Pritchard
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For the better part of last season, Ed Rogers could depend on Brittany Robinson to shoulder the load of his Lady Indians basketball team. However now that Robinson and her 20-plus points a game average are memories, he must look to a young basketball squad with one senior.
“Brittany is going to be tough to replace,” said Rogers. “I see four or five girls though that I am going to lean on to help with our scoring.”
Those girls ” lone senior Laine Kelly, juniors Teal Longerbeam and Valencia Smith and sophomores Brandi Ross and Aundrea Washington ” all have experience playing at the 6A level.
“Laine has got the potential to score 10 points a game and has been doing a tremendous job of leading us through the offseason,” said Rogers. “Now I know that can sometimes change when the ball is tipped, but I don’t look for that to happen. Once these girls find the confidence inside themselves, they are going to be tough to beat.”
In their third year as a 6A school, the Lady Indians were granted a reprieve during the last re-alignment. For the past two years, Rogers’ Lady Indians have played in a metro-based area that featured two defending state champions ” their previous region was comprised of Robert E. Lee, Sidney Lanier and Jefferson Davis.
“Getting out of that area is going to help us big time,” said Rogers. “Each of the schools in our new area have only one feeder school which puts us all on the same level.”
The Lady Indians now must compete with Benjamin Russell, Auburn and rival Stanhope Elmore for a postseason berth.
“I know at the coach’s meeting last week, Auburn’s coach said they had lost about five or six seniors,” said Rogers. “Benjamin Russell has got a new girls coach and I know what Stanhope has. So right now, before a game is played I’d say it’s my girls and Stanhope as the frontrunners.”
Saying it and believing are two different things.
“Now if I can get my girls to believe that they can win this area, that’s going to be where the hard work is,” said Rogers. “I can see the bigger picture. I can see the talent that these kids have.”
While Rogers philosophy stays primarily the same, the gameplan for this winter has changed.
“Last year we just tried to outscore whoever we played and that didn’t work,” said Rogers. “This year, we are going to shut you down on defense and create points this way. We know that we are going to be undersized and young. But, we know that if we can get out there and pressure you on defense, someone is bound to turn the ball over and we’re going to be there to get some quick and easy baskets because of it.”
Tentatively, the Lady Indians will start their season Nov. 11 with a road trip to Lee and then Nov. 14 with a road trip to Jeff Davis.
However, those days re dependant upon how well the Tribe does during the playoffs.
