Lady Raiders have balanced attack in 2010-11; team captures season opener

Girls’ coach Dan Lampe, whose team opened the season Saturday with a 54-34 win over Shiloh, said his squad has a more balanced attack this year.

“In the past we’ve run four guards and Kayla (Freeman); we ran a lot of dribble drive motion and get to the rim a lot,” said Lampe. “Now we’re running more of an inside out set. And you’ve got to pick your poison. You want to cover our post? Well, we’ve got post players who can beat you one on one. And if you want to bring help, then we’ve got shooters out there. If we get consistent with what we want to do, we’ll be tough to beat.”

Lampe likes his squad. He says his team lacks some depth at guard, but when asked for standouts, Lampe rattles off a long list. For instance, he likes how Haley Peeple and Areil Sorrells outhustle opponents.

“We’ve got a couple of real energy players,” he said of those two.

The coach said Nekeia Brown is “really stepping up in the post,” Elizabeth Whieldon “has done a great job,” and that Juleigh Fouche played well at point in her first time at the position last week.

Of course, senior standout Kayla Freeman anchors the team in the post. Meanwhile, sharpshooters Molly Glaze and Elise Coberly bring the heat from downtown

“We’re shooting the three ball well,” said Lampe. “We’ve got a couple of knockdown three-point shooters out there.”

Lampe said Saturday’s season-opening win over Shiloh was a mix of good and bad.

“We had moments where our defense looked really good and moments where we looked horrible, and the same with our offense,” said Lampe. “… I look at them and they’re still thinking where they’re supposed to go. Once they get past that learning stage and they start reacting and playing the game, I think we’re going to be someone to be reckoned with deep in the state tournament.”

The coach noted that this year’s team will play more zone.

“We’ve changed our style quite a bit, playing a lot more zone, not as much pressing,” said Lampe. “We’re every bit as good a team, just a different team than in the past.”

Madison County was scheduled to face Class AAAAA Collins Hill in the second round of the Madison County Invitational Tournament Tuesday.

Lampe’s squad will be back in action Tuesday at home versus Elbert County before traveling to Cedar Shoals next Saturday. The coach said Madison County has scouted both squads.

“Elbert is very talented,” said Lampe. “They roll like 15 kids that can fly up and down the court. It will be a great game. They try to pressure you up and down the court. That’s a great game for us. Cedar Shoals is a young team but also very talented. They are probably not as deep, but they’ve got a couple of players that might be a little better than Elbert’s players.”