2017 Hillsboro Lady Indians Preview: Can the youthful Lady Indians take next step in new season?
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Hillsboro Lady Indians didn’t have a single senior last season, giving this year’s team an advantage of already knowing the system and having some varsity playing time as they begin the 2017-18 season.
The Lady Indians are coached by JR Moberly, who is entering his eighth season at the helm of the program. The roster consists of four seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen. The seniors are Natalie Sullivan, Madi Marsh, Kaley Burns and Riley Moberly, while the juniors are Kelsey Burns and Lana Grover. The sophomore class includes Kira Watson, Kayden Watson, Josie Hopkins, Karleigh Hopkins, Jordan Moberly and Christine Page. The freshman class consists of Destiny Shelton, Delaney Eakins and Leah Hester.
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“We have seven kids coming back from last year’s squad, so we’ve got some experience to build on,” Moberly said. “We’ve got a nice infusion of young, athletic players to throw in the mix, but early on, it’s been kind of a challenge for us to try to figure out how to blend old and new, but that’s what the preseason is for. We’re making some strides in that area.
“We’ve had scrimmages, and again, we’ve run a lot of different combinations out there. We’re seeing a lot of things that we’re doing better than we have before, but there’s still a lot of things that we need to work on. So far, it’s been good.”
In 17 games during the regular season last year, Sullivan led the Lady Indians with 6.4 points per game. Next was Marsh coming in with a 6.3 ppg average in 19 games, while Kaley Burns averaged 6 ppg in 22 games played. Grover also returns for HHS with a 5 ppg average.
Going back to last season, the Lady Indians lost in the sectional semifinals, finishing with an overall record of 4-19. With some new faces on the roster at the start of the season and players familiar with the program, Hillsboro looks to take a step forward in what is also their first year in the Frontier Athletic Conference.
“With the group that we have this year, I think everybody brings something special to the team. Nobody’s going to be the complete package, so we’re going to have to rely on the bonding and the teamwork,” Moberly said. “We’re going to have to build that chemistry and play together. I believe everybody has something to contribute, and when we’re all on the same page, I think we have a chance to be a lot more competitive than we have in the past.
“We had a good summer. We went to Ashland (Ohio), and overall we played like 24 games in eight of our days, so we got a lot of summer games in. We had a couple of our older kids out with injury over the summer, but the rest of them were there, so we were able to get a lot of practice time in there.”
But with the summer practices helping out to a certain degree, the Lady Indians are still coming together as a team during the preseason of the high school year. This season will be about taking what they learned in the summer and preseason to the varsity campaign to take steps forward for the overall success of the program.
“Transitioning into the season hasn’t been as difficult, I think, because of the time we spent this summer,” the HHS head coach said. “As the season approaches, everybody wonders about their role. There’s been a lot of competition for spots and playing time, and competition for those is always a good thing. You want them to fight. Nobody gets anything free, regardless of who you are or how long you’ve been here. That part of it’s really good.
“We just want to go out and try to compete, night in and night out. I know that sounds cliché – it is – but ultimately that’s what we’re shooting for. We haven’t put together many wins the last couple years. We have the talent to find a few more of those. We have the talent to be more competitive in those games that are going to be tough for us to win. Our goal is to try to hang and keep it close and battle and give ourselves an opportunity to be in something meaningful in the fourth quarter and see how it plays out.”
Besides their schedule in the FAC this season — which includes a strong Miami Trace team that played in the Div. II State Semifinals last year — the non-conference slate of games for HHS includes: Fayetteville (Nov. 27), Milford (Nov. 29), Paint Valley (Dec. 7), Batavia (Dec. 9), Lynchburg-Clay (Dec. 21), Blanchester (Dec. 28), Goshen (Dec. 30), Piketon (Jan. 6), Zane Trace (Jan. 8), Western Brown (Jan. 13), Clinton-Massie (Jan. 24) and Waverly (Feb. 7).
“We’re going to have to be a great defensive team for us to be successful,” Moberly said. “In our schedule, top to bottom, we play some great offensive teams. There are some great offensive players. Several of them have already signed to play Division I or II.
“Our main focus is going to have to be to play great defense and try to take teams out of what they want to do, and then hopefully we can generate some offense with our defense.”
In gaining more wins, the Lady Indians will have to keep possession of the basketball better, and that will bring more opportunities at scoring points, but even more importantly, it will force their opponents to work harder in scoring points, too.
“The big thing is I want us to do little things better. We’ve got athletes, we play hard, we’ve got kids who’ve spent a lot of time in the weight room and made a commitment to improve skills, but when it comes game time, I want to see them execute those little things,” Moberly said. “I want them to work as a unit instead of as an individual.
“We’re going to have to work together, and that’s going to be easier said than done because we’re going to play a lot of people, so there’s going to be constant change to that unit. I think our biggest challenge is to get nine or 10 kids to play together as five when their opportunity arises. Ultimately, that comes down to counting on your teammate to do all those little things right.”
The Lady Indians are coached by JR Moberly, who is entering his eighth season at the helm of the program. The roster consists of four seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen. The seniors are Natalie Sullivan, Madi Marsh, Kaley Burns and Riley Moberly, while the juniors are Kelsey Burns and Lana Grover. The sophomore class includes Kira Watson, Kayden Watson, Josie Hopkins, Karleigh Hopkins, Jordan Moberly and Christine Page. The freshman class consists of Destiny Shelton, Delaney Eakins and Leah Hester.
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“We have seven kids coming back from last year’s squad, so we’ve got some experience to build on,” Moberly said. “We’ve got a nice infusion of young, athletic players to throw in the mix, but early on, it’s been kind of a challenge for us to try to figure out how to blend old and new, but that’s what the preseason is for. We’re making some strides in that area.
“We’ve had scrimmages, and again, we’ve run a lot of different combinations out there. We’re seeing a lot of things that we’re doing better than we have before, but there’s still a lot of things that we need to work on. So far, it’s been good.”
In 17 games during the regular season last year, Sullivan led the Lady Indians with 6.4 points per game. Next was Marsh coming in with a 6.3 ppg average in 19 games, while Kaley Burns averaged 6 ppg in 22 games played. Grover also returns for HHS with a 5 ppg average.
Going back to last season, the Lady Indians lost in the sectional semifinals, finishing with an overall record of 4-19. With some new faces on the roster at the start of the season and players familiar with the program, Hillsboro looks to take a step forward in what is also their first year in the Frontier Athletic Conference.
“With the group that we have this year, I think everybody brings something special to the team. Nobody’s going to be the complete package, so we’re going to have to rely on the bonding and the teamwork,” Moberly said. “We’re going to have to build that chemistry and play together. I believe everybody has something to contribute, and when we’re all on the same page, I think we have a chance to be a lot more competitive than we have in the past.
“We had a good summer. We went to Ashland (Ohio), and overall we played like 24 games in eight of our days, so we got a lot of summer games in. We had a couple of our older kids out with injury over the summer, but the rest of them were there, so we were able to get a lot of practice time in there.”
But with the summer practices helping out to a certain degree, the Lady Indians are still coming together as a team during the preseason of the high school year. This season will be about taking what they learned in the summer and preseason to the varsity campaign to take steps forward for the overall success of the program.
“Transitioning into the season hasn’t been as difficult, I think, because of the time we spent this summer,” the HHS head coach said. “As the season approaches, everybody wonders about their role. There’s been a lot of competition for spots and playing time, and competition for those is always a good thing. You want them to fight. Nobody gets anything free, regardless of who you are or how long you’ve been here. That part of it’s really good.
“We just want to go out and try to compete, night in and night out. I know that sounds cliché – it is – but ultimately that’s what we’re shooting for. We haven’t put together many wins the last couple years. We have the talent to find a few more of those. We have the talent to be more competitive in those games that are going to be tough for us to win. Our goal is to try to hang and keep it close and battle and give ourselves an opportunity to be in something meaningful in the fourth quarter and see how it plays out.”
Besides their schedule in the FAC this season — which includes a strong Miami Trace team that played in the Div. II State Semifinals last year — the non-conference slate of games for HHS includes: Fayetteville (Nov. 27), Milford (Nov. 29), Paint Valley (Dec. 7), Batavia (Dec. 9), Lynchburg-Clay (Dec. 21), Blanchester (Dec. 28), Goshen (Dec. 30), Piketon (Jan. 6), Zane Trace (Jan. 8), Western Brown (Jan. 13), Clinton-Massie (Jan. 24) and Waverly (Feb. 7).
“We’re going to have to be a great defensive team for us to be successful,” Moberly said. “In our schedule, top to bottom, we play some great offensive teams. There are some great offensive players. Several of them have already signed to play Division I or II.
“Our main focus is going to have to be to play great defense and try to take teams out of what they want to do, and then hopefully we can generate some offense with our defense.”
In gaining more wins, the Lady Indians will have to keep possession of the basketball better, and that will bring more opportunities at scoring points, but even more importantly, it will force their opponents to work harder in scoring points, too.
“The big thing is I want us to do little things better. We’ve got athletes, we play hard, we’ve got kids who’ve spent a lot of time in the weight room and made a commitment to improve skills, but when it comes game time, I want to see them execute those little things,” Moberly said. “I want them to work as a unit instead of as an individual.
“We’re going to have to work together, and that’s going to be easier said than done because we’re going to play a lot of people, so there’s going to be constant change to that unit. I think our biggest challenge is to get nine or 10 kids to play together as five when their opportunity arises. Ultimately, that comes down to counting on your teammate to do all those little things right.”