2014/15 WHS Lady Demons Preseason Previe

Young WHS Lady Demons have depth, experience on their side

Members of the 2014/15 Williamstown High School Girls' Basketball Lady Demons include (left to right) Megan Perkins, Lynzie Cheek, Justice Chambers, Jenna Johnson, Olivia Souder, Sydney Taylor, Ashley Marksbury, Head Coach Kasey Mason, Rachel Montgomery, Katie Cheek, Michaela Kennedy, Hailey Howe, Emily Ison, Kiki Johnson, and Kelsie Jordan.

By Wade Holland

Publisher

With only one senior and two juniors on the roster, the Williamstown Lady Demons enter the 2014/15 basketball season as one of the youngest teams in the 8th Region. But to view the Lady Demons' youth as a deficiency would be ignoring the facts.

Williamstown actually comes into the season as one of the more experienced teams in the area after back-to-back years of not losing any players to graduation. The Lady Demons did lose a couple players who moved or decided not to return, but for the most part the team returns intact for a third straight season.

Senior post player Ashley Marksbury is the Lady Demons' oldest player and returns with several years of experience within the program, followed by junior Rachel Montgomery, who is entering her fourth season as a starter. Fellow junior Katie Cheek, along with sophomore guard Michaela Kennedy, have also started for more than one season after joining the varsity squad while still in middle school. Not to mention many other players on the roster who have played critical roles over the last two seasons, all the way down to current 8th-graders Justice Chambers and Kiki Johnson, who both gained plenty of valuable experience a year ago.

With so many experienced players on the roster, Head Coach Kasey Mason understands that youth is not an

Senior Ashley Marksbury (22) goes up for a shot in a recent scrimmage against Berea. Marksbury is expected to be a leader for the young Lady Demons both on the floor and in the locker room.

excuse anymore and believes the team's experience outweighs its age.

"We are still pretty young, but we've got a lot of girls that have experience," she said. "One of the things people have said for the last three years is, 'You're young. You'll be good when you're older'. I think we are over that. It's time."

Due to the team's youth in recent seasons, team depth at the varsity level has been an issue. But with no losses to graduation in recent years, the team is now stocked full of talented players, making depth a strength for the current group of Lady Demons.

"I feel very comfortable that we have nine or 10 that we can put out there every night," said Mason, who added there is always room for other players to step up and join the rotation. "Their work in the off-season and their game systems have really led to major growth for some of our girls. Having that depth to give our starters some rest really helped with our success this summer."

With added depth, the need for team unity and unselfishness becomes even more important for the Lady Demons. Those coming off the bench are just as important as those that take the floor for the opening tip-off, Mason said.

Junior Katie Cheek (1) is one of the Lady Demons' most improved players as well as one of the most experienced on the team.

"One of the biggest keys to success is the girls just understanding what their role is. Knowing their role and being comfortable in their role," said Mason. "Sometimes, in all sports, players are only concerned with what they are doing offensively. But we have girls here who are very good at doing a lot of different things and are very good across the board as basketball players. Getting them to understand the importance of those other aspects of the game, like rebounding, blocking out, defense, and assists. Those things are equally important to our success as scoring is. If the girls concentrate on doing some of those things, it will create more offense for them.

"Something we've really stressed is giving up the me for the we," continued Mason. "Give up that selfish part of your game."

With so many players able to take the floor and hold their own at the varsity level, Mason and her coaching staff are very likely to change things up a little both offensively and defensively. The Lady Demons are expected to push the ball a little more this season, depending on the opponent, of course.

"We feel like we have a lot of weapons," said Mason. "We have a lot of girls who can score. And our offense is designed to get more players involved. Quickness is one

Junior Rachel Montgomery (15) is entering her fourth season as a starter for the Lady Demons. She is also one of the tallest players on the squad.

of our strengths. And with our quickness and depth, I feel like pushing the ball is something we'll be able to handle a lot better. The last two years we've not been able to do that as much because of a lack of depth. But we had some games last year that were great indicators that pushing the ball is something we can do, even though we fell short in some of those games because we ran out of gas.

"So we're really looking to push the ball more," added Mason. "And we've talked to our players, especially our guards, about being able to control the tempo of the game. We've told them, yes, there will be times when we want you to run and gun, run and gun. But you also have to know when to pull the reigns. And that's something we've been working on."

Both the quickness and depth have led to some changes defensively as well for the Lady Demons.

"Because depth has been an issue in the past, I think some of the girls have felt they could not give 100 percent because they need to reserve some energy for the rest of the game," said Mason. "But with our depth, now we're also looking to full-court press a little more. We want our press to create that fast-paced offense. We want to let our defense create offense for us.”

Another aspect of the Lady Demons' game that should be improved and utilized often is 3-point shooting. Mason said she has several players capable of hitting the long ball, and fans are very likely to see them put the ball up more often from outside than in past seasons.

"Our 3-point shooting should be much improved," she said. "We've had some players working on their own on their outside shot. But the biggest thing is just the confidence. I've stressed to the girls, you cannot be confident in something unless you are working on it on your own. What we do in practice should not be the only time you are focusing on your craft. If you want to be a good 3-point shooter, you need to be shooting a lot of extra shots from there."

Height is always an issue at a small school like Williamstown. And it will be again this season. But Mason expects good fundamental basketball along with team speed to help overcome that.

"We probably have average height," she said. "Sydney Taylor and Rachel Montgomery are the two tallest players on the team. Both have great wing spans. But after those two, the rest of the team is pretty much the same height.

One thing that should not be an issue for the Lady Demons is conditioning. After a disappointing finish to last season, many of the players went right back to work, which is a major reason for the team's growth and improvement.

"The girls have been working hard, lifting and conditioning, since the end of last season," said Mason. "In fact, some of the girls started working out the day after districts were over last season. They came to me and asked if they could, and I told them, it's up to you. If that's what you want to do, we can. And they've never stopped. The majority of them started in April and never stopped."

But with all the extra work, the Lady Demons have suffered some injuries that continue to linger, which is a concern for any team. Williamstown players have had to deal with everything from a concussion to ankle sprains to wrist injuries.

"We were in very good condition when we started practice, but with some of these injuries, you have to wonder will these girls be able to play at the level we need them to play at when games start," said Mason. "It is a concern."

But it's a long season, and even if the team is not 100 percent coming in, Mason says it is important for the players to not lose focus on the prize. With a goal of doing well in the All A Classic and ending the season strong and making a good impression in districts, the Lady Demons must stay focused.

"We want the girls to have very high expectations," said Mason. "But at the same time, with all that is going on with injuries and such, we want them to not lose sight of what the goal is. They've set these goals for themselves and they have to understand that every single practice, every single game, and every single minute spent in the gym, is part of the process.

"But if this summer is any indication of what our season will be like, then I feel very positive about it," concluded Mason.

Williamstown tips off it's season on December 2 at home against Gallatin Co. Junior varsity actions tips off at 6 p.m. followed by varsity action at 7:30 p.m.