Page 7 - 2018 TR Basketball Preview

THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASKETBALL PREVIEW | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2018
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CABOT LADY PANTHERS
Lady Panthers hope for bounce-back season
BY MARK BUFFALO
STAFF WRITER
The Cabot Lady Panthers are coming off a difficult season in 2018.
The Lady Panthers finished the season at 9-17 and failed to make the postseason for the first time in several years.
Cabot had to forfeit wins over Mount St. Mary, Fort Smith Southside and Bryant because of the use of an ineligible player. Those losses kept the Lady Panthers from making the Class 7A State Tournament for the first time in several seasons.
“We worked so hard last year but could not overcome those losses,” said Carla Crowder, who is entering her 16th season as Lady Panthers coach.
Cabot returns two starters from last year’s squad. They are junior Emily Belin and senior Brooklyn Stracener.
Belin (6-0) averaged 10 points and 8 re- bounds a game last year. Stracener (5-9) aver- aged 6 points and 4 rebounds.
Crowder said Belin and junior Hannah Ogilvie were the two best inside players. The best outside players are junior Izzy Arnold, senior Blair Nichols, senior Dejah Jimerson, senior Anna Wilson and Stracener.
Cabot has 31 players listed on the team’s ros- ter, including eight seniors. They are Stracener, Wilson, Jayna Davis, Gabby Dodson, Nichols, Ammo Mejia, Jimerson and Paige Lasiter.
“This team is extremely coachable, and they work extremely hard,” Crowder said. “But we’re small with not a lot of height.”
Crowder said her team will be competitive
MARK BUFFALO/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Cabot’s Izzy Arnold brings the ball up the court during preseason practice.
with Bryant this season, as well as Mount St. Mary and Fort Smith Southside.
She said the top teams in the 6A-Central will be defending state champion North Little Rock, Conway and Fort Smith Northside.
Crowder said several players can play at the college level. They include Arnold, Belin and Ogilvie.
The Lady Panthers will open the season Nov. 15 against Morrilton at Panther Arena. They will open the 6A-Central schedule Jan. 4 against Mount St. Mary at Panther Arena.
“This group will work extremely hard and will hustle all over the court,” Crowder said. “They do a great job on defense and get in the other team’s face all night long.
“I love this group.”
NOV. 15 ....................................MORRILTON NOV. 20 .................................SYLVAN HILLS DEC. 11 ............................. @RUSSELLVILLE DEC. 14 ................................... PARAGOULD JAN. 4 .............................(B) LR CATHOLIC* JAN. 4 ..................(G) LR MOUNT ST. MARY* JAN. 8 ...............@FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE* JAN. 11 .......................................CONWAY* JAN. 15 .................................LR CENTRAL* JAN. 18 ..................................... @BRYANT* JAN. 22 ............... FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE*
JAN. 25 ...................@NORTH LITTLE ROCK* FEB. 1 .......................... (B) @LR CATHOLIC* FEB. 1 ............... (G) @LR MOUNT ST. MARY* FEB. 5 ................. FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE* FEB. 8 ......................................@CONWAY* FEB. 12 .............................. @LR CENTRAL* FEB. 15 ........................................BRYANT* FEB. 19 ........... @ FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE* FEB. 22 ..................... NORTH LITTLE ROCK*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
CABOT PANTHERS