The Inola Lady Longhorns basketball team is currently halfway through their season. They have faced many teams, some of which they have come out triumphant and others where they have finished short. Nevertheless, these girls have fought tooth and nail in every game they’ve played. Their record is seven wins and five losses with a recent win over the Wagoner Bulldogs.
The Lady Horns traveled to Wagoner on Tuesday, January 15th. During the first quarter, shooting guard Madison Courtney hit a whopping total of six 3-pointers. These shots helped put the girls up 22-11 at the end of the first. Madison ended the night seven for twelve.
Other crucial scorers of that game were Kelsie Roberts, Kylee Day, Marley Eaves, Macey Eaves and Lillie Walker. Among these five players, a total of fifty-two points were accumulated, resulting in a seventeen point win over the Bulldogs.
With a little over six games left, these girls continue to put up long hours in the gym. Their coaches: Ronnie Maple, Travis Bryant and Tyler Swope are working hard to prepare them for the upcoming postseason, hoping to have a better outcome than last year’s.
During a recent interview with Coach Tyler Swope, we were given a behind-the-scenes look at the plan the coaches have for their players. “We’ve really amped up our practices lately,” says Swope. “Even after practicing for over three months, the girls have come in saying they were extremely sore from the new intensity we have been pushing them to.” He claims the purpose of this is to help break down mental barriers. If these barriers are breached, they hope it will give the players the final edge they need to execute in crucial situations.
The Lady Horns aren’t the only ones preparing for the teams to come. Coach Swope stated that teams have been scouting them with vigor, preparing in every way possible to beat our high school team.
“They see us as a threat.We have a lot of potential and if all of our players on the court are on, we’re unstoppable,” Tyler responded, when asked if he believed the girls would peak at the time of the postseason. All three coaches are one hundred percent behind their players and believe that this season could be their best yet.