|
Hornet basketball teams resume season at Maize South By Randy Fisher Last Updated: January 03, 2019 It's back to the hardwood for the Valley Center High School boys and girls basketball teams. Both will hit the road Jan. 4 to Maize South, trying to improve upon seasons that have started in opposite directions. The boys are 3-2 overall and 1-0 in Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League II play. That is the best start for a Valley boys team since 2001. Coach Ty Unrau has said the Hornets are not a particularly good shooting team and will need to generate offense from their defense. "We have had segments of games where we have played really well," Unrau said. "Defense and rebounding advantages have been in our favor, creating turnovers leading to quick and easy baskets. Our depth has allowed us to do a pressure system that has been effective for us." Senior Trenton Driskill and sophomore Myles Thompson have emerged as the scoring and rebounding leaders, with Thompson on top in both categories. Other key players include sophomore Eli Isaacs (leader in assists and steals) and seniors Parker Schrater, Jaythan Lutz, Zach Williams (leader in blocks), Jeren Carter and Larry Wilson. On the other side of the coin, it's been a struggle for Valley's girls, who are looking for their first win of the season. You have to go back to 2001 to find the Hornets winless at Christmas. Coach Trent Preheim has a young team with limited experience across the board. Consequently, their play has been inconsistent through the first five games. "If you look at our record, it's easy to have a negative perception of our team," Preheim said. "However, our first five games were against some very good competition, with the last two against ranked teams in 5A. Obviously, we want to win games, but what we are really striving for is improvement, and I feel the girls have shown that they can play with the best." Junior Kassie Kinniburgh leads the Hornets in scoring (12 points per game) and rebounding (8 per game). Senior Alysia Arrowood has averaged 14 points per game over the last two outings. Riley Ranzau, a junior, has handled the point guard duties, with senior Alyssa Turner helping Arrowood from outside. Valley's other starter has been junior Kylee Dawson whose athleticism fits in well. Coming off the bench have been seniors Emily Breault, Cheyenne Lisle and Kenna Meyer, along with junior Abbigail Wolf. After Maize South, Valley's girls will host Andover on Jan. 5. Both boys and girls will entertain Ark City on Jan. 8. |
|
||
Contact Ark Valley News | Archives |
||||