The Straughn Lady Tigers are going to be young this year, but head coach Scott Kinsual still expects his girls to be competitive during the 2016-2017 AHSAA basketball season.

“We are going to be very young and inexperienced this year,” Kinsaul said. “I’ve only got one senior that will be starting and this will be her first year as a starter. We graduated 12 seniors over the past two years. These younger girls have a lot of talent, but we just have to learn to play together.”

Kinsaul said that his players aren’t looking in the talent department.

“They are a very talented group,” Kinsaul said. “They are quick and athletic and think they will be an advantage for us this year. With a young group, there are going to be some growing pains, but this team really wants to go out there and do their best.”

One thing Kinsaul said the Lady Tigers need to work on is gaining experience.

“Mainly, we need experience,” Kinsaul said. “That is something that is just going to come when they get in situations that they haven’t been in before.  They know that they need to do they just have to do it.”

The Lady Tigers started the season with a tournament in Northview over the weekend, but went 0-3 against some strong competition. On Monday night, the Lady Tigers fell to another tough opponent when they took on Paxton High School (Fla.).

“We have started the season 0-4, but three of the schools we played have been really good teams,” Kinsaul said. “That may have been a scheduling mistake on my part, but the girls haven’t gotten discouraged and they know what’s ahead of them.”

Kinsaul said at this point in the year, he just wants to see improvements.

“We obviously want to win every game we play, but really at this time records don’t really matter,” Kinsaul said. “You want to use the first of the year to focus on what we need to learn and get ready for area.”

In the loss to Paxton, Kinsaul said the Lady Tigers played well, but saw things that needed improving.

“We actually played a pretty good game against a good Paxton team, but we just couldn’t score,” Kinsaul said. “That has been something that has given us a some trouble. We have out rebounded in most of our games, but scoring and taking care of the ball have been problems.”

Despite the slow start, Kinsaul said he hasn’t lost any faith in his team.

“These girls have the talent and I absolutely believe in them,” Kinsaul said. “We have just have to learn to adjust and rely on each on other. It’s going to take some time, but are going to keep working.”

The Lady Tigers will host their annual Thanksgiving tournament on Nov. 21-22 at the Straughn High School gym.