Lady Cougars Embarking On First IHSAA Sectional
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Closing out their regular season at 4-17, the LCA Lady Cougars open Class 1A Sectional 52 action at Fort Wayne Canterbury, taking on Hamilton Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The 7-13 Hamilton Lady Marines enter the sectional with a two-game winning streak, but Propp is feeling confident.
“I know Hamilton’s favored over us, but we’ll see what happens,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to have drawn Hamilton to begin with. I think that’s a good draw for us.”
Everyone in the draw is happy to not have drawn No. 1 Fort Wayne Canterbury, which has won nine-straight sectional titles and four of the last five Class 1A state titles.
If LCA is to face Canterbury, it would have to be in Saturday night’s championship, as the Lady Cougars would face either Bethany Christian or Howe School in Friday’s semifinal.
“I feel like, if we can get past our first round, more than likely we’ll play Bethany Christian,” Propp said. “We played them, but we’re not the team we were then. I feel optimistic about that.”
During the regular season, Bethany defeated LCA 48-27 on Nov. 19 in Goshen.
According to Propp, the biggest change in the Lady Cougars has been the play of 5-foot-10 senior center Alisa Gross.
Supplying a low post presence, Gross is averaging 6.4 points per game.
“At the beginning of the season, Alisa Gross, as our only (post player), was averaging about two or four points a game,” Propp said. “She never really boxed out a whole lot. She’s now progressing. She had an 18-point game against Lakewood (on Jan. 29) and had an eight-point game (Thursday) against Whitko. She’s also crashing the boards a lot better, so she’s stepping up.”
Along with Gross’ progression, Propp’s also seen senior Frani Gerst step up, albeit with a limited offensive game.
“Frani Gerst isn’t as much a basketball player as she is an athlete,” he said of the 5-7 forward. “She actually has worked a lot harder at being a better defensive player. Offensively, she contributes very little, but she’s diving, making moves and did a textbook pick-and-roll the other night.”
Senior guard Emilee Catron has been LCA’s most consistent offensive player, averaging 8.8 points per game, just better than senior guard Jess Goss’ 8.4 per game.
Entering the postseason, LCA is on a six-game skid, with the low point being consecutive losses of 62-15 and 71-13 against Argos and Culver Girls Academy, respectively.
For Propp, he’s now trying to keep his girls going, although things have been tough.
“We played so many games in January, that it does get fatiguing,” he said. “Just a week ago, I had girls that were just ready to be done with the season. I just needed to be able to refocus them and get some perspective. Since we got a good draw, it’s easier to motivate them. I can say, ‘Look, we can go in and potentially make it to the finals of the sectional. That would be awesome to do that.’ So, there’s that carrot I can dangle.”
And despite the hard times, Propp does believe his team has improved over the course of the year and may be able to get a couple wins in its first-ever IHSAA sectional.
“I feel like this is a team that has its feet under it a little bit better,” he said. “I’m glad we’re going in with a (Hamilton) team I think we can compete with.”[[In-content Ad]]
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Closing out their regular season at 4-17, the LCA Lady Cougars open Class 1A Sectional 52 action at Fort Wayne Canterbury, taking on Hamilton Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The 7-13 Hamilton Lady Marines enter the sectional with a two-game winning streak, but Propp is feeling confident.
“I know Hamilton’s favored over us, but we’ll see what happens,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to have drawn Hamilton to begin with. I think that’s a good draw for us.”
Everyone in the draw is happy to not have drawn No. 1 Fort Wayne Canterbury, which has won nine-straight sectional titles and four of the last five Class 1A state titles.
If LCA is to face Canterbury, it would have to be in Saturday night’s championship, as the Lady Cougars would face either Bethany Christian or Howe School in Friday’s semifinal.
“I feel like, if we can get past our first round, more than likely we’ll play Bethany Christian,” Propp said. “We played them, but we’re not the team we were then. I feel optimistic about that.”
During the regular season, Bethany defeated LCA 48-27 on Nov. 19 in Goshen.
According to Propp, the biggest change in the Lady Cougars has been the play of 5-foot-10 senior center Alisa Gross.
Supplying a low post presence, Gross is averaging 6.4 points per game.
“At the beginning of the season, Alisa Gross, as our only (post player), was averaging about two or four points a game,” Propp said. “She never really boxed out a whole lot. She’s now progressing. She had an 18-point game against Lakewood (on Jan. 29) and had an eight-point game (Thursday) against Whitko. She’s also crashing the boards a lot better, so she’s stepping up.”
Along with Gross’ progression, Propp’s also seen senior Frani Gerst step up, albeit with a limited offensive game.
“Frani Gerst isn’t as much a basketball player as she is an athlete,” he said of the 5-7 forward. “She actually has worked a lot harder at being a better defensive player. Offensively, she contributes very little, but she’s diving, making moves and did a textbook pick-and-roll the other night.”
Senior guard Emilee Catron has been LCA’s most consistent offensive player, averaging 8.8 points per game, just better than senior guard Jess Goss’ 8.4 per game.
Entering the postseason, LCA is on a six-game skid, with the low point being consecutive losses of 62-15 and 71-13 against Argos and Culver Girls Academy, respectively.
For Propp, he’s now trying to keep his girls going, although things have been tough.
“We played so many games in January, that it does get fatiguing,” he said. “Just a week ago, I had girls that were just ready to be done with the season. I just needed to be able to refocus them and get some perspective. Since we got a good draw, it’s easier to motivate them. I can say, ‘Look, we can go in and potentially make it to the finals of the sectional. That would be awesome to do that.’ So, there’s that carrot I can dangle.”
And despite the hard times, Propp does believe his team has improved over the course of the year and may be able to get a couple wins in its first-ever IHSAA sectional.
“I feel like this is a team that has its feet under it a little bit better,” he said. “I’m glad we’re going in with a (Hamilton) team I think we can compete with.”[[In-content Ad]]
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