Championships or bust. It’s that simple of a storyline for the Houston girls’ basketball team.
With a nucleus of veteran returning players and additions of talented younger ones, the Lady Tigers have set high hardwood expectations for the 2014-’15 season.
They want to be conference champions.
District champions.
And advance into the state playoffs.
“My expectations are high,” veteran HHS coach Brent Kell said. “We can’t put added pressure on ourselves, but their expectations are high as well.”
The optimistic outlook begins with the Lady Tigers’ 1-2 duo of junior Sarah Kelley and senior Kylee Elmore. Both were all-conference selections last season and led the team in nearly every statistical category.
Kelley, a 5-foot-11 center, led the Lady Tigers in scoring (14.5), rebounds (7.0) and field goal percentage (49.6) her sophomore season. She also ranked third on the team with 1.4 steals per game.
Elmore, a four-year starter, ranked second on the team her junior campaign with 10.4 points per game. She led the Lady Tigers in assists (3.7) and 3-pointers (29) and was second on the team with 1.7 steals per game.
Even more important than their numbers, Kell said, is his captains’ leadership of the team.
“They have set the example because of their work ethics,” Kell said. “We’ve worked too hard. We’ve put in a lot of hours in this gym. We feel like we’ve put the man hours in. Now we just have to put it together.”
The Lady Tigers incredibly experienced in the backcourt. Shelby Cremer returns at point guard and will be flanked by Elmore and sophomore Abby Casper. All three started last season.
Behind them three players –– Stephani Crewse, Monica Hunter and Krista Scott –– moving up from the junior varsity.
The frontcourt is anchored by Kelley, who is the team’s fourth returning starter. New to the lineup is senior Olivia Woosley, who joins the program for the first time since her freshman season.
Sophomore Jaydin Ramsey, who was slated to start, is sidelined with a knee injury that will be re-examined Thursday. She and junior Makayla Koch both saw varsity minutes last year.
Providing frontcourt depth are sophomores Alyssa Hayes and Emily Shea. Freshman Kaitlyn Root, who will begin the season on the JV, could also play varsity minutes.
Kell wants to play an uptempo style offensively.
“We’ve got a lot of kids that can score the ball,” he said.
The Lady Tigers’ pursuit of what they believe will be a memorable season begins Monday in the Lady Bulldog Invitational. Second-seeded Houston faces No. 7 Seymour at 7 p.m.
HHS will get an early look at where it stands on Dec. 22 when the Lady Tigers face two-time defending district champion Licking. The Lady Wildcats beat Houston by 29 points in last year’s district title game.
“Districts won’t be easy,” Kell said. “But we feel like we’re closing the gap on everyone.”