Basketball Feature: McClain Lady Tigers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For McClain junior Tara Karnes and sophomore Shania Massie, this season will be different than any other season before. The duo are the lone returning players for a Lady Tiger team that has no seniors, a situation that has occurred just twice in the past 32 seasons under head coach Dennis Overstake.
No seniors, no big deal for these two returning varsity players, as they have no choice but to lead a young Lady Tiger team this season. They are prepared for this challenge and the many other challenges that await them this season, as basketball is more than just a game to them, it is a family affair.
"I started out as a kid playing the game because I had two siblings who played," Karnes said. "Basketball has always been in the family. I started in the third grade, and I've loved it ever since.
[[In-content Ad]]"I played two years in the city league, then three years of travel league before middle school and high school."
Massie also has family experience with the game.
"Like Tara, basketball is a part of my family as well," Massie said. "Since my dad coached me early on, I played in the second grade, and from there, it has just been a lot of hard work. Basketball is just a family thing."
As mentioned previously, there are zero seniors on the squad this season, but the leadership role isn't something Karnes and Massie are shying away from because they said they had good teachers as they played with six seniors one season ago, learning the lessons it takes to be a leader.
"Last year, we had an awesome group of seniors to look up to, so now we know what a leader should look and be like," Karnes said. "It's going to be hard, it is a lot of pressure on us, but we are willing to take it."
"We did have a really good senior group last year, and we have to be like them," Massie said. "We have to step up and let the others know what to do, how to do things and keep them up."
Massie is coming off a season at the varsity level where she played a few games at JV, then was promoted from a reserve role off the varsity bench to a full-time starter. Karnes played two quarters of JV and three varsity quarters each night for the Lady Tigers.
That experience will be invaluable this season as there will be four new starters in the Lady Tiger lineup due to the aforementioned seniors' graduation.
"It helps out a little bit (the varsity experience), not a lot because we aren't playing with anyone we are used to playing with because we lost the seniors," Karnes said. "We know the pace of the game, and we are ready for it. We have a lot of freshmen we have to help out."
"It will be a big learning experience for the freshmen," Massie said. "We've been where they are at, being nervous the first pregame and all that."
If anyone knows about being placed in the starting role as a freshman, it would be Massie, as she ended up starting 16 of 22 games played in last season.
Massie was the second-leading scorer on the team last year with 203 points (9.2 points per game). In just her second varsity game, Massie scored 13 points. That was the start of 11 games where Massie scored 10 or more points in a game.
Massie's largest scoring total came against Eastern Beaver, where she totaled 18 points.
"At the first of the year, I was at JV, but then the coaches saw how I was playing, and I started varsity," Massie said. "It was a lot of pressure on me because I had to step it up.
"When they told me I was going to start varsity, I was excited because I really didn't expect it. I was happy to play, then I got a lot of playing time, which was unexpected. My goal is to score 1,000 points by the end of my senior year."
Now a sophomore, Massie looked back at last season and spoke about what it was like that first game in the varsity lineup.
"At the preview, I was shaky, nervous and panicking then," Massie said. "Once I got out there, it wasn't so bad."
Karnes said as a player, last season was tough because she had to play both games in the same night, saying she never got into a rhythm.
"Playing both games, I never got to be in a full game, which kind of messed me up," Karnes said. "I was never in the pace of the game, but when we got to the tournament, I was involved the whole game, and I was able to just get my head into the game better."
In the two tournament games last season, Karnes scored six points vs. Logan Elm and 10 against Marietta.
Both players are just looking forward to being back on the court, playing the game.
"The team aspect of the game is what I'm looking forward to again," Karnes said. "I love the game, but I love being on the team, too. Our coaches will do anything for us, so I'm looking forward to playing for them again.
"We just want to show without seniors we can still go out there and play."
"We've had players that have graduated come back and help us, and our coaches have done everything they can to help us prepare for this year," Massie said. "They work us and just want us to get better.
"We are just looking forward to playing again and to continue to get better.
No seniors, no big deal for these two returning varsity players, as they have no choice but to lead a young Lady Tiger team this season. They are prepared for this challenge and the many other challenges that await them this season, as basketball is more than just a game to them, it is a family affair.
"I started out as a kid playing the game because I had two siblings who played," Karnes said. "Basketball has always been in the family. I started in the third grade, and I've loved it ever since.
[[In-content Ad]]"I played two years in the city league, then three years of travel league before middle school and high school."
Massie also has family experience with the game.
"Like Tara, basketball is a part of my family as well," Massie said. "Since my dad coached me early on, I played in the second grade, and from there, it has just been a lot of hard work. Basketball is just a family thing."
As mentioned previously, there are zero seniors on the squad this season, but the leadership role isn't something Karnes and Massie are shying away from because they said they had good teachers as they played with six seniors one season ago, learning the lessons it takes to be a leader.
"Last year, we had an awesome group of seniors to look up to, so now we know what a leader should look and be like," Karnes said. "It's going to be hard, it is a lot of pressure on us, but we are willing to take it."
"We did have a really good senior group last year, and we have to be like them," Massie said. "We have to step up and let the others know what to do, how to do things and keep them up."
Massie is coming off a season at the varsity level where she played a few games at JV, then was promoted from a reserve role off the varsity bench to a full-time starter. Karnes played two quarters of JV and three varsity quarters each night for the Lady Tigers.
That experience will be invaluable this season as there will be four new starters in the Lady Tiger lineup due to the aforementioned seniors' graduation.
"It helps out a little bit (the varsity experience), not a lot because we aren't playing with anyone we are used to playing with because we lost the seniors," Karnes said. "We know the pace of the game, and we are ready for it. We have a lot of freshmen we have to help out."
"It will be a big learning experience for the freshmen," Massie said. "We've been where they are at, being nervous the first pregame and all that."
If anyone knows about being placed in the starting role as a freshman, it would be Massie, as she ended up starting 16 of 22 games played in last season.
Massie was the second-leading scorer on the team last year with 203 points (9.2 points per game). In just her second varsity game, Massie scored 13 points. That was the start of 11 games where Massie scored 10 or more points in a game.
Massie's largest scoring total came against Eastern Beaver, where she totaled 18 points.
"At the first of the year, I was at JV, but then the coaches saw how I was playing, and I started varsity," Massie said. "It was a lot of pressure on me because I had to step it up.
"When they told me I was going to start varsity, I was excited because I really didn't expect it. I was happy to play, then I got a lot of playing time, which was unexpected. My goal is to score 1,000 points by the end of my senior year."
Now a sophomore, Massie looked back at last season and spoke about what it was like that first game in the varsity lineup.
"At the preview, I was shaky, nervous and panicking then," Massie said. "Once I got out there, it wasn't so bad."
Karnes said as a player, last season was tough because she had to play both games in the same night, saying she never got into a rhythm.
"Playing both games, I never got to be in a full game, which kind of messed me up," Karnes said. "I was never in the pace of the game, but when we got to the tournament, I was involved the whole game, and I was able to just get my head into the game better."
In the two tournament games last season, Karnes scored six points vs. Logan Elm and 10 against Marietta.
Both players are just looking forward to being back on the court, playing the game.
"The team aspect of the game is what I'm looking forward to again," Karnes said. "I love the game, but I love being on the team, too. Our coaches will do anything for us, so I'm looking forward to playing for them again.
"We just want to show without seniors we can still go out there and play."
"We've had players that have graduated come back and help us, and our coaches have done everything they can to help us prepare for this year," Massie said. "They work us and just want us to get better.
"We are just looking forward to playing again and to continue to get better.