Published: November 20, 2008 11:24 pm            

Picking up the pace

Lady Raiders to use in-your-face style

With their season-opening game against Rockmart less than a week away, Southeast basketball coach Jeff McDonald is searching for a player — or players, the coach isn’t picky — to provide some of the heart and soul the team lost when guard Haley Lock suffered a season-ending knee injury in a preseason scrimmage against Sonoraville.

“It’s a devastating loss,” McDonald said of Lock, a 5-foot-6 junior. “She is the heart and soul of this team and we’re reeling from losing her for the season.”

Amazingly, Lock suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to her left knee during summer AAU basketball and had recovered enough to play this season. But she suffered the same type injury to her right knee in the scrimmage game.

“What are the odds?” McDonald asked. “Haley had worked really hard in rehab to come back from that summer injury and the girls had just elected her captain for this season. On tape, when she came down from getting a rebound, you can see that knee buckling. I heard her scream and when I got to her she said, ‘Oh, it hurts just like the other one.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

Now, McDonald wants someone to pick up the emotional leadership void — not to mention Lock’s defensive prowess — in quick fashion so the Lady Raiders (10-17 overall, 3-11 Region 7-4A last season) can move ahead with their hopes of competing for the Region 6-3A title this year.

Lock would have played either a point guard or 2-guard position for McDonald. So, those two spots are still undetermined.

“We lost a pretty strong defensive player in Haley, who is always getting a lot of steals,” Shelby McFarland said of her teammate. “She is pretty good on offense too.”

McDonald, starting his second season with the Lady Raiders, is looking at sophomore Mallory Edgeman or junior Liz Henderson, a transfer from Christian Heritage, to play the 2-guard slot. Danielle Pearson and Tquasha O’Neal are working at the point.

McFarland and Briana Sosebee, both 5-foot-11, are likely to start at forwards and 5-9 Ashley Strong at post. All three are sophomores.

However, none of the Lady Raiders are locked into starting roles. McDonald said his lineup could change from game to game.

Beth Stone, Brianna Coppock, Whitney Napier, Nancy Gomez and Brooke McDonald all have the skills to come off the bench — even start some games — to make sizable contributions to the Lady Raiders.

“This is the first time in my time as an assistant coach and now head coach that we have really good talent on the bench,” McDonald said. “That’s why we don’t have five definite starters because girls on the bench are just as good. The ones who have the most rebounds, the most assists and are getting some turnovers are going to start.

“Notice I didn’t say anything about points. That will come later. I won’t tell any of these girls they did a great job if they score 30 points. This is about team. It’s the first time we’ve had good depth and I’m going to use it.”

For the past few years, the Lady Raiders called on Heather Payne for strong inside play and went to her frequently for easy buckets and strong rebounding.

There are changes in store this season.

“Heather was fairly dominant,” McDonald said. “We could always go inside to her. Now we’re going to open the floor as much as possible on offense. We’re going to have a fast-paced offense. If we get the ball out, we’re gone with it.”

To that end, McDonald said McFarland and Sosebee can utilize their outstanding one-on-one skills to get shots. Pearson and Henderson, daughter of Laura Greeson, one of the best female basketball players ever at Southeast who had her jersey retired during last season, are also reliable shooters.

“In the scrimmage game, we were down 10 points and Liz came in and we won by 10 points,” McDonald said. “She sees the floor really well. She’s got a nice jump shot and showed the ability to penetrate and get the ball to inside players.”

The Lady Raiders can’t afford to play slow, McDonald said.

“Most teams will be bigger than us,” the coach said. “When teams are bigger than you, you have one choice — outrun them. If these girls play hard and with heart, we can surprise some people this year.”

Sosebee, one-fifth of the Lady Raiders’ solid freshman class last season, is happy about the up-tempo style McDonald will use this season.

“It’s good,” she said. “We’re all pretty fast and that style fits us. That’s who we are.”

Sosebee said the experience the freshmen gained last season could pay huge dividends in their sophomore campaigns.

“Last year helped all of us a lot,” she said. “We were a little nervous coming in as freshmen, but it should be a lot easier this year.”

McFarland agreed with Sosebee and said the team’s goals are much higher this time around.

“I want to finish as one of the top teams in our region and go to state,” McFarland said. “We have a lot of talent and I think we can do a lot better than last year.”

The Lady Raiders, who open the season against Rockmart at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in their own Thanksgiving Hoopfest, defeated Ringgold, 54-48, in the opening round of last season’s Region 7-4A tournament. They lost to Dalton, 66-50, in the second round.

In that second-round loss, Payne and McFarland each scored 12 points and Pearson added nine.

With the returning talent — minus Lock, of course — ready to open this season, McDonald is optimistic about what his team may accomplish.

“I’m confident in these girls,” he said. “We’ll go as far as they want to go. If they want to play serious in-your-face basketball, then we’ll go a long way.”

2008-09 Schedule

November

25 – Rockmart, 4; 28 – Southeast Hoopfest; 29 – Southeast Hoopfest.

December

2 – at Cartersville, 6; 5 – at Northwest Whitfield, 7; 9 – at Gilmer County, 6; 12 – Cartersville, 7; 19 – Northwest Whitfield, 7; 29 – at Knoxville Catholic tournament; 30 – at Knoxville Catholic tournament.

January

6 – Ridgeland, 6; 9 – at Heritage-Catoosa, 7; 10 – at Trion, 6; 13 – at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe; 16 – at LaFayette, 7; 20 – at Ringgold; 23 – at Ridgeland, 7; 27 – Heritage-Catoosa, 6; 30 – Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, 7; 31 – Trion, 6.

February

3 – LaFayette, 6; 6 – Ringgold, 7; 12 – Sub-region tournament at Ridgeland.

        

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