Row 1: D. Boyce, A. Bramer, K. Wiedower, T. Haney, S. Holmes, L. Crenshaw, M. Brown, K. Preaus. Row 2: T. Kirby (coach), M. Mullin (manager), K. Celsor, A. Saunders, L. Harrison, A. Strickland, K. Dunn, M. Lewis, R. Williams (manager), D. Walker (assistant coach). Though some teams might consider an abundance of young players a risk to team success, they were the core of the Lady Bisons basketball team. Only two seniors were on the roster for the spring season, while there were eight freshman and sophomores. "This year's team is still young, even though we have a lot of girls back who played big minutes last season," sophomore Arielle Saunders said. "As we've tried to figure out our team identity, we've slowly become one solid team of thirteen girls working together to achieve our goals." Despite their youth, each player brought a different set of talents to the team, from athleticism to communication to spirit. Junior Lauren Harrison explained that the team unity improved due to the diversity of the girls and the strengths each brought. "Having so many young players has caused leadership roles to fall on lowerclassmen," Harrison said. "We have freshmen that have taken roles that we needed filled. This year is different because instead of having one leader, I feel like we have many leaders in different areas. People have taken their talents and lead in those areas, and I think it has made us stronger and made more people feel involved and allowing them to contribute." Junior Kristen Celsor also attributed their successful season to the leadership seen on the team. Regardless of age, each player led by example and did the best they could Rising Up Young team shows experience and perseverance to encourage each other on and off the court. "We have so many girls that led in so many ways," Celsor said. "I don't really see myself as the loud, pep talk giving leader. I'm more of the silent type. I try to encourage my teammates individually and then use the extra years of experience that I have to help them with things they might be dealing with." The team's theme of "Rise Together" helped spark a desire for success in unity at the beginning of the season, when they beat Division One school Oral Roberts 68-54. The players who did not graduate after the 2011-2012 season chose the theme so they could stay together and rise above the expectations placed on them. Their fluidity continued into the conference season, where they held an eight game winning streak after dropping the first two games. "Our theme this season really describes us well, as we struggled through some adversity," Saunders said. "It also explains any successes we've achieved." The young team finished the season with room to grow and had high goals for the next season. The players looked forward to sharpening their skills and competing against tough teams. "The team next year I hope will be able to build on the experience, since we will have more upperclassmen and room for improvement," sophomore Tabitha Haney said. SydneyHamm Women's Basketball Est. 1983 1 295
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