Lady Tigers hope to have success this year

By Andrew Garner (Contact) | Andalusia Star-News

Published Wednesday, November 4, 2009

File photo

Straughn’s Kayla Teel will be one of three returning starters for the Lady Tigers this year.

Straughn girls basketball coach Scott Kinsaul said his team looks to have a good season this year and hopes to come out on top in area play.

“Our expectation is to win the area and host the sub-state game,” Kinsaul said. “My first three years we’ve gotten knocked out of the sub-state round because we’ve had to travel. So, we want to host a game and to host the sub-state round and to get to the regional tournament in Mobile.”

Kinsaul said he expects one thing out of his team.

“The only thing I’ve ever asked out of them is to play hard and I believe we’ll do that every game,” he said. “They’ve always played hard and I feel like we’ll have a great year.

“We’ve got great leadership and we’ve got great role players,” he said. “I believe I have high expectations for this year and the girls know that.”

Straughn has three returning starters this year. Senior Tiffany Freeney will return as a small forward; Kayla Teel will return as the point guard; and Kimberly Teel will be a shooting guard.

“Hopefully, our shooting will get better this year,” Kinsaul said. “I feel like we’ve always been a very good defensive team, but we’ve never shot the ball real well. I really hope our shooting will come along this season.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Lady Tigers will apply a lot of “pressure” and hope to tire their opponents.

“We’ll play man-to-man and do a lot of trapping off it,” Kinsaul said. “We’ll also do a lot of full-court press, some full-court man and try to disguise our defense a little bit. We’ll play some zone, but not much.”

Kinsaul said that his team would use turnovers to their advantage.

“We will rely on our defense turning into offense,” he said. “We’re relying on a lot of steals, turnovers, lay ups and easy baskets. We want to make other teams have to work for their shots. We want the easy shots.”

Kinsaul said the conditioning for this season has gone well.

“We’re in real good shape this year,” he said. “We’re going to try to wear people down and apply a lot of defensive pressure on the court.”

As far as depth goes, Kinsaul said he will go “nine deep.”

“It’ll be hard for the freshmen to get a lot of playing time because they’ve got so much to learn,” Kinsaul said. “I won’t be scared to play nine people. I’m not going to play my players unless I think they can get the job done. They’re playing because I have confidence in them.

“I’m looking forward to this year and I think we’ll be successful,” he said. “We’ve got great girls that work hard and they deserve all the credit for the success we get. Our success will be based on what they’ll do this season, and not because of what I do.”

The Lady Tigers will have their first game on Fri., Nov. 20, at 4:30 p.m. and will play after the B-team.