Lady Cougars, a year of evolution
By Rex Overholser

Grandmother's chili is always the great combination of spices, meats, beans, onions, pasta, and tomatoes boiled together for a designated time and then simmered on the stove and cooled for just the right taste. But all great cooks take Grandma's recipe and experiment by adding a little of this and that to make it just a little better.

Coach Hanna is the master chef this year as he tries to make his third recipe of Lady Cougars evolve into a potent mixture of basketball talent. He has to make this possible by boiling and simmering the right mixture of girl's talents at the right time. The good news is that the Lady Cougar's cooking cupboard has talent, experience, and skill to choose from. The Lady Cougars have 10 players who will all contribute and should be the deepest team that Coach Hanna has had to work with since coming to Carroll.

Coach Hanna will truly be the master of evolution if he can figure out just the right mixture of defenses, offenses, and player combinations. The Lady Cougars will rely on experienced seniors and juniors who make up this base mix. Returning starters, Krystal Brazel, Sarah Brown, and Ashley Miller, will provide the veteran leadership. The other two positions are wide open and will see Hanna Peden, Brooke Yoder, Morgan Yoder, Abby Reinke, Jaime McCarter, and Kara Overholser all figuring into competition. Courtney Hall will provide key role support to Ashley Miller in the post position.

This team will be fun to watch as each night a different hero will need to step up their play to help team chemistry. The best evolution process will provide balanced scoring, aggressive defense, and smart fundamental basketball with a high degree of unselfishness. Swarming zone defense combinations will be featured. Penetration of the point guards (Peden, B. Yoder, Reinke, McCarter) will be a key to this team's success. Key wing and 3-point sharp shooters, Brazel and Overholser, will have to provide 18-22 points per night to the offense. Brown, Miller, M. Yoder, and Hall will need to lock down the paint area and provide 24+ rebounds each game and solid scoring of 15-20 points per game.

For this evolution process to be complete, the point guards must play smart and have as many steals and assists as they do turnovers. If the combination of point guards can score 8-12 points per game, along with a steady floor game, this team will be potent.

The Lady Cougars' successful winning formula can be measured by a mix of the following: A scoring average of 44 points per game, hit 70% of their free throws, average 24+ rebounds, 6 steals, 8 assists, and hit >40% of their shots while making less than 10 turnovers. A team goal would be to hold opponents to 36 points per game. A different hero for each night could be a great team builder. Coach Katie Seward's Junior

Varsity should have a strong nucleus for success as well with most of her team being back for another year of playing together and learning the offenses and defenses. The JV will be made up of returning sophomores, Luci Zook, Amber Hughes, Megan Ayres, Sarah Griffin and add freshmen Morgan Yoder, Molly Craig, Jill Griffin, and Erynn Feasel. Abby Reinke may add some spot playing time to this mix as well. This team should continue to get better and better as they continue in their progression.

The Lady Cougars opened the season at home Tuesday, night against an always strong Western Panther team. They host Sheridan on Monday, and host Delphi next Wednesday at Carroll Memorial Gym.