Team Preview: McClain Lady Tigers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
There is a changing of the guard for the first time in 30-plus years for the McClain Lady Tigers' basketball program with Jarrod Haines now at the helm.
This season, the Lady Tigers return basically the same team as last season, as they had zero seniors in a year in which they finished 11-12 overall, winning their final six regular-season games. MHS was 8-6 in the South Central Ohio League.
The key players back for the Lady Tigers include junior Shania Massie, who not only broke the single-game scoring record last season with a 40-point game, but led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 15.2 points per game. Massie was also named to the All-Ohio team last year.
Senior Tara Karnes is back in the post, returning 14 ppg, and senior Katy Unger had 6.4 ppg one season ago.
“We have a great balance between our post players and our guards, which gives us the ability to play up-tempo, but slow it down when we need to," Haines said.
Also returning to the lineup are seniors Allison Willett and Caitlyn Lovett, along with juniors Lauren Rayburn, Sarah Thompson and Sydney Barton.
“Shania and Tara are our key returning ingredients, but the other girls buy into their roles and work their tails off," Haines said. "Our other seniors, Katy Unger, Alli Willett and Caitlyn Lovett, have committed to improving their game over the summer.
New to the varsity squad are freshmen Taylor Polley, Beth Montgomery, Lexie Barton and Malea Montavon.[[In-content Ad]]
"Sarah has been our strongest defender in the preseason, and Sydney has improved offensively," Haines said. “We are really looking for Lauren and Taylor to help Shania with handling the ball.”
The goal, on paper, is simple, but achieving it will be tough, for the Lady Tigers under first-year head coach Haines. Their goal is to win the South Central Ohio League championship and make a run in the postseason.
"The girls and our coaching staff are very excited to get started," Haines said. "They have put in some very hard work. Our schedule might be the most competitive I have seen it since I have been here ... we are on the road 13 times and at home nine times.
"Our non-league schedule helps prepare us for our competitive league slate. This will only make us tougher, and that’s what we have, a bunch of tough girls."
Again, the goal is a lofty one, but one Haines, and his coaching staff of Jesse Mitchell and Audra Branham, feel the team is capable of achieving.
"We want to be right in the thick of things at the end of the season to bring a league title to Greenfield," Haines said. "This won’t be easy. We play in one of the toughest girls basketball conferences in the state.
"Night in and night out, we have to bring our best."
Leadership and playing as a team are what Haines is looking for from his team to be able to achieve the overall success expected of the Lady Tigers.
“A strength to our team is the quality of leadership that we have, and we need to use that to our advantage," he said, "Returning eight players from last year's squad, and blending them in with a few freshmen, we have to have solid leadership."
This season, the Lady Tigers return basically the same team as last season, as they had zero seniors in a year in which they finished 11-12 overall, winning their final six regular-season games. MHS was 8-6 in the South Central Ohio League.
The key players back for the Lady Tigers include junior Shania Massie, who not only broke the single-game scoring record last season with a 40-point game, but led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 15.2 points per game. Massie was also named to the All-Ohio team last year.
Senior Tara Karnes is back in the post, returning 14 ppg, and senior Katy Unger had 6.4 ppg one season ago.
“We have a great balance between our post players and our guards, which gives us the ability to play up-tempo, but slow it down when we need to," Haines said.
Also returning to the lineup are seniors Allison Willett and Caitlyn Lovett, along with juniors Lauren Rayburn, Sarah Thompson and Sydney Barton.
“Shania and Tara are our key returning ingredients, but the other girls buy into their roles and work their tails off," Haines said. "Our other seniors, Katy Unger, Alli Willett and Caitlyn Lovett, have committed to improving their game over the summer.
New to the varsity squad are freshmen Taylor Polley, Beth Montgomery, Lexie Barton and Malea Montavon.[[In-content Ad]]
"Sarah has been our strongest defender in the preseason, and Sydney has improved offensively," Haines said. “We are really looking for Lauren and Taylor to help Shania with handling the ball.”
The goal, on paper, is simple, but achieving it will be tough, for the Lady Tigers under first-year head coach Haines. Their goal is to win the South Central Ohio League championship and make a run in the postseason.
"The girls and our coaching staff are very excited to get started," Haines said. "They have put in some very hard work. Our schedule might be the most competitive I have seen it since I have been here ... we are on the road 13 times and at home nine times.
"Our non-league schedule helps prepare us for our competitive league slate. This will only make us tougher, and that’s what we have, a bunch of tough girls."
Again, the goal is a lofty one, but one Haines, and his coaching staff of Jesse Mitchell and Audra Branham, feel the team is capable of achieving.
"We want to be right in the thick of things at the end of the season to bring a league title to Greenfield," Haines said. "This won’t be easy. We play in one of the toughest girls basketball conferences in the state.
"Night in and night out, we have to bring our best."
Leadership and playing as a team are what Haines is looking for from his team to be able to achieve the overall success expected of the Lady Tigers.
“A strength to our team is the quality of leadership that we have, and we need to use that to our advantage," he said, "Returning eight players from last year's squad, and blending them in with a few freshmen, we have to have solid leadership."