Lady Cougars Ready To Take Next Step
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
The program is only in its third year as a fully participating member of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, but according to first-year head coach Brian Harshman, LCA is looking to be considerably more competitive than in the past.
“When this year is over, I hope our players and fans remember this season as the year we really began to compete with IHSAA schools,” said Harshman. “I want them to remember this season as something special, something that gave them pride.”
There’s a plan in place to help the Lady Cougars make progress in the 2014-15 season.
“I believe that we’re building a stronger competitive drive and growing our basketball IQ,” said Harshman. “We want to do the little things right and build on them. I think then we will begin to be successful.
“When you can do those little things right, the more difficult things in competition begin to take care of themselves. We also need consistency out of our players. Whoever is on the floor needs to be giving their best all the time. We want to be able to rely on one another, especially in crucial times throughout the games.”
The Lady Cougars return some experience from last year’s 6-14 team.
“Our key players this year are junior guard Hannah Delp and junior center Rachel Sands,” said Harshman. “Another player to watch for us is sophomore guard Melissa Goss. Hannah and Rachel averaged around eight points a game last year for varsity, and we’ll need that and more this year.
“We have senior forward Maryl Gerst, who brings a lot of consistency to the floor. She is a solid shooter from outside and brings some great leadership through example. After having a year off from Lakeland senior forward Ashley Ornsby returns to the team. She works hard for us underneath and has really come back with a desire to do well. She is a strong body that goes up strong for us.
“Off the bench we bring senior guard Emily McCoomb that can get the ball up and down the floor. Senior guard Joselyn Helton is our defensive specialist and junior forward Carissa Urshalitz brings a lot of passion and desire down low.”
Whatever the results this season, there is one message Harshman would like to send to other programs.
“After this season, I want teams to know we aren't a ‘circle’ win any more,” he said. “We want other teams to think ‘we’re going to have to bring our best when we play LCA.’ We will compete and we will play hard. We feel like we have something to prove.”[[In-content Ad]]
The program is only in its third year as a fully participating member of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, but according to first-year head coach Brian Harshman, LCA is looking to be considerably more competitive than in the past.
“When this year is over, I hope our players and fans remember this season as the year we really began to compete with IHSAA schools,” said Harshman. “I want them to remember this season as something special, something that gave them pride.”
There’s a plan in place to help the Lady Cougars make progress in the 2014-15 season.
“I believe that we’re building a stronger competitive drive and growing our basketball IQ,” said Harshman. “We want to do the little things right and build on them. I think then we will begin to be successful.
“When you can do those little things right, the more difficult things in competition begin to take care of themselves. We also need consistency out of our players. Whoever is on the floor needs to be giving their best all the time. We want to be able to rely on one another, especially in crucial times throughout the games.”
The Lady Cougars return some experience from last year’s 6-14 team.
“Our key players this year are junior guard Hannah Delp and junior center Rachel Sands,” said Harshman. “Another player to watch for us is sophomore guard Melissa Goss. Hannah and Rachel averaged around eight points a game last year for varsity, and we’ll need that and more this year.
“We have senior forward Maryl Gerst, who brings a lot of consistency to the floor. She is a solid shooter from outside and brings some great leadership through example. After having a year off from Lakeland senior forward Ashley Ornsby returns to the team. She works hard for us underneath and has really come back with a desire to do well. She is a strong body that goes up strong for us.
“Off the bench we bring senior guard Emily McCoomb that can get the ball up and down the floor. Senior guard Joselyn Helton is our defensive specialist and junior forward Carissa Urshalitz brings a lot of passion and desire down low.”
Whatever the results this season, there is one message Harshman would like to send to other programs.
“After this season, I want teams to know we aren't a ‘circle’ win any more,” he said. “We want other teams to think ‘we’re going to have to bring our best when we play LCA.’ We will compete and we will play hard. We feel like we have something to prove.”[[In-content Ad]]
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