Lady T-cats season starts with new coach

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats are now under the direction of head coach Don Kemper, and started their new season on Saturday against Tri-Cities Prep. The Lady Tigercats lost to TCP with a final score of 36-47, but Kemper said the game serves as a solid benchmark for the team.

“It gave us a starting point for the season,” Kemper said. “It wasn’t too bad for the opening game. We came out, played a little rugged and ragged, and we were ahead at halftime by two. We just didn’t come out fired up enough in the second half.”

Kemper was impressed with the girls’ ability on the court and the potential the team showed after only 14 days of practice. The Lady Tigercats have a small team, with only 11 athletes total on this season’s roster.

Stepping up to lead the team on offense were Brooklynn Hostetler and Ashtyn Aune. Hostetler sank two three-point shots in the first half, and ended the game with 11 points. Aune remained the Lady Tigercats most consistent scorer throughout the game, and racked up 15 points.

The Lady Tigercats scored 23 points in the first half, with only 13 total points being scored in the second half. Kember attributed the second half scoring slump to the inability to play more athletes and the need for more conditioning during practices.

“They (TCP) were a little taller, they had more numbers, and we kind of ran out of gas with the varsity kids,” Kemper said about the Lady Tigercats second half performance.

Kemper said he is pleased with the first game results, but is now moving the practice focus to free throw shooting and continuing to work on defense.

“The kids played hard and hustled. They kept putting the ball up, and got a few shots to go in,” Kemper said. “When we look back, we could have been in the game if we made free throws and put backs.”

But Kemper said the shot that never seemed to fall was from the free throw line, as the Lady Tigercats missed 11 free throws in the game.

“We’re working on defensive quickness, more conditioning, and will fine tune and polish man and zone offense,” Kemper said of the practice schedule.

Defense has been the primary focus of the Lady Tigercats team, and Kemper plans to continue to work on moving to the ball and transitioning.

“I was pleased with the effort. It gave me a measuring stick of what we need to focus for the upcoming games,” Kemper explained.

The Lady Tigercats continue the season on Friday in Tekoa, followed by a game on Saturday in Washtucna against Liberty Christian, beginning at 5 p.m.