Michael Parks certainly earns credit for thinking outside the box.
The Apalachee High School Lady Wildcats basketball coach has had to deal with both the ups and downs to this point in the 2008-09 season. However, he hasn’t given up and hasn’t stopped thinking up creative ways to help his team improve.
Whether it’s scrimmaging against the junior varsity boys or making his offense better against a pressure defense by making the odds eight against five, Parks is constantly looking for ways to help his team improve. For the young coach, it’s all about getting better with each game and taking steps toward improving the program overall.
Last week the Lady Wildcats got a taste of success as they defeated region foe Monroe Area and then defeated Commerce in a span of five days. For the Apalachee team, the wins were much enjoyed degrees of success.
“It feels good to see some results,” Parks said. “The Commerce game was easily our best of the year. We were putting a lot of pressure on the basketball. Everyone played and everyone did well. They went to a 2-3 zone eventually and we just ran our offense. It was only when we got out of sync that we looked sloppy.”
Freshman Lacresha Mayweather scored 14 points against Commerce while Kelsey Montgomery added 10. Kaitlyn Medlem added eight rebounds.
The Lady Wildcats raced out to a 15-0 lead against the host Lady Tigers on their way to the win.
A fast start also benefited AHS against Monroe Area earlier in the week. The Lady Wildcats led 21-6 after the first quarter.
“We jumped out early and never looked back,” Parks said. “We came out with a lot of pressure.”
AHS continued to lead 34-22 at halftime.
“We played well,” Parks said. “We entered the game with a great deal of confidence. We had faced Monroe in summer league play.”
Mayweather led the team with 15 points while Montgomery added 12. Saboyce Shelton finished with 10.
Medlam, making her first start of the season, also drew the praise of her coach.
“She played the entire way,” Parks said of the junior. “She is a player I trust on the court. She might not score 20 points but she has a calming influence on our team. She is not going to make mistakes that hurt you.”
The only setback for the Lady Wildcats last week was a 62-33 loss to Loganville, a team Parks says a legitimate Top 10 team.
“They are just so much more advanced skill-wise than us,” the coach said. “They have tremendous athletes.”
AHS was only down nine at halftime before the Lady Red Devils pulled away in the second half. Mayweather finished with 15.
“She wanted the basketball,” the coach said. “We wanted to make something happen. That is impressive for a freshman.”
Overall, however, it was a solid week for the AHS Lady Wildcats.
“It was the first time we’ve beaten Monroe and it was also our first region win of the season,” Parks said.
The Lady Wildcats will compete in the Oconee County High School Christmas Tournament beginning Saturday against Towers at 12:30 p.m.
