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The Lady Wildcats varsity basketball team has hit a rough patch, losing eight of their last nine games and dropping to 4-16 overall this season.
Head Coach Chris Tibbets attributes the team’s struggles to inexperience, as the rookie-heavy roster features five freshmen.
“They are learning, and I feel like they are getting better,” Tibbets said. “It’s just a matter of having a young team. A lot of them have never played varsity before, so they need to learn the ropes and focus on improving every day.”
The team has struggled offensively, according to the coach, averaging fewer than 20 points in its past three matchups against Bastrop, Hendrickson and Weiss.
Tibbets stressed the importance of increasing the team’s scoring output and outlined some of the adjustments needed to improve.
“We have to score at least 30 points,” Tibbets said. “We’ve tried to hone in on shooting and shooting with a purpose. Our practices have been a lot more competitive lately, and the girls understand that we can’t win unless we shoot. They’ve really focused on their technique.”
Despite undesirable results, Tibbets remains optimistic about the team’s progress, particularly on defense, he added.
“I think compared to where we were at the beginning of the season, we’re totally ahead of that now,” Tibbets said. “We were really young, and the rotations in the zone, playing man-to-man and understanding those concepts were a challenge for some of the girls — but they’ve really come along and figured it out. They’re still young, but their basketball IQ is improving.”
The Lady Wildcats face a challenging schedule ahead, continuing district play against Georgetown Dec. 16 before traveling to Pflugerville, Dec. 19.
