Coming off a regional run last year, the Bishop Noll Lady Warriors Basketball team has high hopes for this upcoming season. The Lady Warriors, coached by Vanita Gary, are looking at a successful season so far and look to keep up their successes. The Lady Warriors have defeated three 4A schools already (Highland, Crown Point, East Chicago). This year the Warriors have improved their schedule difficulty in order to play bigger and better opponents.
Coach Vanita Gary had nothing but positive things to say about this year’s schedule changes.
“The increased difficulty in our schedule can only help us prepare for post season. In order to beat the best, you have to play the best,” Gary said. “It will make us better players, decision makers, and show us how we stand up to challenges and adversity.”
Along with Coach V, junior Tori Keilman is hopeful that this year’s tough schedule will hoist Noll’s reputation into the same realm that the area’s top girls basketball teams inhabit.
“This year’s schedule is extremely hard compared to last year’s. I think having a hard schedule is a good thing because we will be more prepared. In order to beat the best, you have to play the best,” Keilman said.
Sophomore forward, Brittany Anderson is having an exceptional season so far this year averaging 19.5 ppg down low. She credits her teammates for her successes and also had very good things to say about this years schedule change. “This years schedule is only going to make us better, knowing the tough competition we are facing compared to last year. We are still going into the games looking to win and improve, no matter how good the opposing team may be.”
Despite having a young team with only one senior, the Lady Warriors have played exceptionally well. Coach V had this to say about her young team, “with a ‘young team’, as well as a different game style this year, we will go through ‘growing pains’. I think it will test our mental toughness a great deal.”
Keilman agreed with Coach V adding in that “having a young team is something the Bishop Noll basketball program is used to.” Neither Coach V or Keilman are too worried about their young team. They both have a positive outlook on their team and high hopes for this season.
Being a young team with a hard schedule the Lady Warriors still have high expectations for this upcoming season. After falling short in a regional loss to Canterbury High School, they are eager to put last year in their past and to make a new memory. Tori Keilman had this to say, “Our team goals for the season are of course to make it as far as we can during post season, we have a lot that we want to accomplish and we are willing to put the work in.”
Anyone who plays a sport knows that winning doesn’t come free. Any team will have to face adversity and only the teams who can rise above that adversity are true winners. The Lady Warriors have their own adversity they will have to overcome throughout this season. Being a young team the Warriors will look up to Junior leadership and help from their benches depth. Sophomore, Brittany Anderson being one of the team’s top scorers says “I really look up to Tori Keilman and Naomi House who have excellent leadership on the court.” Despite Keilman and House stepping up as key leaders on the court, the Warriors will look to their bench for help throughout their season. Coach Gary said “I don’t really feel that there is one particular key player coming off the bench. Regardless if they are a starter, or if they come into the game off the bench, our success this season is going to depend on everyone.”
Despite all of the success the Lady Warriors have been having against bigger opponents, one part of their game has been proved as their only weakness so far. This year the Warriors have been shooting a low 50% from the free throw line. Coach Gary agreed saying, “Yes, so far this season, we have struggled from the free throw line. It is definitely a problem that we MUST fix. Any game can be decided by one point, so we have to do better and take advantage of these “free” points.” Coach Gary is confident that she can fix this problem by “finding more time for the girls to develop better muscle memory and confidence at the line.”
The Warriors look to be one of the strongest teams in the area so far. One thing needs to happen in order for the Warriors to keep up their successes and create a successful post-season run. “In order for us to be successful in this year’s state tournament, we have to CONSISTENTLY play to our potential. The great thing about basketball season, is that it is a long season. We have a ton more practices to learn and develop, as well as 19 more regular season games improve. We have to put together 4 quarters of quality basketball.” This years season looks very bright for the Lady Warriors.