From the Sports Desk

with Carey Phillips: 03/28/02

Coming off back-to-back conference championships, the Lady Mustangs lost 92.7 percent of their scoring to graduation. In many ways it was like starting over.

Making matters more difficult was the move to the Mountain Athletic Conference, one of the toughest 3-A leagues in the state. There were no easy games in the MAC, and the result was a record of 0-16.

Despite the record, the season had many rewards for Coach Cindi Simmons.

"Although everyone was disappointed in the record, this was a very enjoyable group to work with," she said. "The disappointment in the players with the number of wins never affected their attitude and work ethic. This group came into practice every day with a positive outlook and ready to go to work. They continued to strive for improvement."

Although the season proved frustrating at times for players, coaches and fans, there were some positives. SM lost by a point to a strong Murphy team and also played solid against Owen and Florida State signee Hannah Linquist.

One of the more positive signs was how the team played against Enka. A fairly close loss at Enka in mid-season was followed up at the end of the year by an overtime loss to the Sugar Jets. That's encouraging because Enka finished fourth in the MAC and made the playoffs.

"That shows that despite the record we are not that far off from being a playoff-caliber team," Simmons said.

For more inspiration, the Lady Mustangs can look to Rosman. The Lady Tigers reached the 1-A Western Regional finals this year just two seasons after winning two games.

One of the most disappointing losses was to Andrews in overtime. It was clearly a winnable game and came one night after the team played so well against Murphy.

Seniors were Christy Pruett, Courtney Bryson, Ashley Harn, Ashley Holmes and Alyson Bartell.

"Christy was one of our most experienced returning players," Simmons said. "She made the transition from forward to guard. Her quickness and jumping ability helped her create a lot of opportunities."

Pruett led the team with 6.9 points per game and was named honorable mention all-conference.

"Courtney was another one of our experienced players," the coach said. "She did a good job playing interior defense. She spent a lot of time and effort developing her inside game."

"Ashley Harn had the ability to deny and get in the passing lanes on defense," Simmons said. "She always worked hard on both ends of the court."

"Ashley Holmes was one of the best outside shooters on the team," the coach said. "She put in a lot of time working to improve her game."

"Alyson was very instrumental in our victory over Swain," Simmons said. "She ended up starting at point guard and hit some big shots for us."

Juniors were Stasha Nicholson, Katie Crisp, Jennifer Hyatt and Lauren Kinsland.

"Stasha came back after missing much of her sophomore year with an ankle injury," the coach said. "She has a lot of athletic ability and is versatile enough to play multiple positions."

"Katie has worked a lot on her game in the off season," Simmons said. "She has become a threat as an outside shooter."

"Jennifer has the ability to penetrate and create," the coach said. "She's a good outside shooter."

"Lauren has good basketball instincts and makes good decisions," Simmons said. "She's a very good passer."

Sophomores were Danielle Bowers, Tori Kelly, Jessie Woodard and Julie Cagle.

"Danielle stepped in and gave us a lot of minutes at the four and five positions," the coach said. "She contributed in a number of ways such as scoring and rebounding."

"Tori gained valuable experience at point guard which should serve her well in the future," Simmons said.

"Jessie is a good outside shooter," the coach said. "She had the knack to make something happen when she got on the court."

"Julie had a setback with an ankle injury and missed several games," Simmons said. "When she got on the court, she always played with a lot of emotion."

The conference will be tough again next year. Roberson and East Henderson probably won't be quite as good, but will still field solid teams. Asheville started three freshmen this year and figures to be the team to beat next season.

"The experience the players gained this year will pay off next year with the returnees and the players moving up from the JVs," Simmons said. "The conference will be strong again, and we'll have to work hard in the off season to be ready. The players are committed to doing that."

Simmons expressed appreciation to her assistant, Alex Bell, and to JV coaches Karla Phillips and Nichole Jones as well as the parents and administration for their support.

The climb back for the Lady Mustangs won't officially begin until practice starts in late October. However, the work needs to be under way now at open gym nights leading to summer workouts and camps.

Back to Sports: 03/28/02.