Houston High School girls’ basketball coach Brent Kell has been clear with his intentions leading up to the start of a new year. He expects his team to have a successful season.
“Mediocrity is not good enough,” said Kell, who enters his 27th season as the Lady Tigers’ head coach. “We’ve got to be more competitive and lay it on the line. We’re tired of mediocrity around here.”
Drawing on the success of the HHS girls’ softball team, which won the program’s first-ever district championship in October, Kell is preaching to his 2012-’13 team that they can have the same type of success.
“They have an opportunity to do something just as special,” Kell said. “I’ve been telling them, ‘Softball started it this year. Let’s be that next team to keep things rolling.’”
It has been eight years since the girls’ basketball program won a district title. Houston, which has won nine games each of the last two seasons, last played in the district championship game in 2007.
The Lady Tigers return three starters from last year’s 9-15 team in sophomore Kylee Elmore and seniors Amber Sillyman and Alexa Ichord.
The trio is joined by three players who played significant varsity minutes last season: Seniors Kenzie Scheets and Kayla Herndon, and junior Sydney Cremer. Kaylea Preheim and Megan Silveus move up from the junior varsity team, and freshmen Sarah Kelley and Shelby Cremer will be asked to contribute as freshmen.
Elmore, a unanimous second team all-conference selection as a freshman, returns as the team’s leading scorer. She scored 11.9 points per game and ranked third on the team in rebounds (3.4), assists (1.2) and steals. (1.5).
One of the top perimeter shooters in the conference, Elmore made 49 3-pointers on 44.5 percent shooting last season.
Her role will change this year as she moves from shooting to point guard to fill the vacancy left by Haylee Kell, an honorable mention all-conference selection.
“She is doing it out of necessity,” Kell said of Elmore’s position change. “We’re going to give it a shot at the beginning of the year. If it hurts her scoring, we may move Amber to the point. It’s a transition, but she is willing to do whatever is best for the team.”
Sillyman, who ranked second on the team in 3-pointers (21) and assists (1.7) while averaging 5.7 points per game, will start with Elmore and Scheets in the backcourt.
Herndon, who Kell said will be the first player off the bench and guard the opponent’s top perimeter player, Preheim and Shelby Cremer provide depth at the guard position.
Ichord anchors what Kell says is a much-improved frontcourt. Ichord was the team’s second-leading scorer (10.3) and rebounder (5.3) last year.
She is joined in the starting lineup by Sydney Cremer, who was selected to the all-camp team in Branson this summer as the Lady Tigers went 9-2.
Houston will have frontcourt size off the bench with Kelley (5-foot-10) and Silveus (5-9).
Kell has high expectations for Kelley, who he said has strong footwork and can score with both hands.
“She has the potential to be the best post player we’ve ever had. Bar none,” Kell said. “If she can become more physical, she can be dominant.”
Contributions from Kelley, Silveus, Herndon and the rest of the bench could be a determining factor in the team’s success, Kell said.
“How early our bench comes around will be key,” he said.
Because he is concerned about his team’s lack of depth, Kell said he has increased conditioning drills leading up to the Nov. 26 season opener at Eminence.
Kell said he hopes to play mostly man-to-man defense.
“Conditioning and getting tired can’t be an excuse,” he said.
After a slow start to the summer, Kell said his team finished strong. It was highlighted by the nine victories in 11 games in Branson.
He said he has stressed to his players to carry that success into the season by competing at every practice and in every minute of each game.
“We’ve got a lot of good kids, but they’ve got to become a little meaner when it comes game time,” Kell said. “They’ve got to leave that nice-kid personality in the locker room and go out there and compete.”
Nov. 26 at Eminence
Dec. 6 at Stoutland
Dec. 8 at Licking
Dec. 10 at Newburg
Dec. 14 Norwood
Dec. 17 at Ava
Dec. 20 at Laquey
Dec. 27 Rolla Invitational
Jan. 3 Dora
Jan. 7 at Willow Springs
Jan. 10 at Salem
Jan. 14 Mtn. Grove Tour.
Jan. 21 Mansfield Tour.
Jan. 28 Mtn. Grove
Jan. 31 Thayer
Feb. 4 at Hartville
Feb. 7 Plato
Feb. 11 Liberty
Feb. 14 Cabool
All regular-season games begin at 6 p.m.