Women’s Basketball continue strong season

Although they are a fairly young group of players, the Cobras Women's basketball team continues to perform at a consistent level. The 2011-12 season has nearly passed its midpoint, which means that conference play is underway and the postseason inches closer. Head coach Karrie Redeker's club has posted a record of 11-5 and plans to build on the lessons and successes of this season.

One example of success, which the coaching staff can point to, is the six game winning streak that followed a loss to Olney Central in the season opener. A streak that saw the Cobras win games by an average of almost 16 points per contest. During that run, no opponent scored more than 63 points. That level of defensive performance has been a staple and a point of emphasis from coach to players. "We set a defensive goal of holding the other team to 65 points or less, as we have found that to be a ‘winnable' score." Redeker said. "Defense is easier to control on a nightly basis because it only takes effort, intensity, and a team concept. Therefore, we should expect a solid defensive effort every game. It's harder to control offense as far as the types of shots we are going to get or the percentage we are going to shoot each game."

Lessons can be drawn from the stretch of games following the winning streak. A bit of inconsistency plagued the Cobras as they split their next eight outings, including a home loss to current No. 14, Kirkwood Community College. Redeker cited one huge reason for this, saying, "turnovers have been a killer for our team this season, so we have consistently tried to find ways to address improvement in that area." This was especially an issue in their latest defeat by the hands of Division I team Jefferson College in overtime, in which the Cobras committed 35 turnovers.

With such a freshman heavy ball club, games like those are somewhat inevitable. The task that is usually addressed by the coaching staff is keeping those young players, and those players willing to improve, focused. Redeker praises the progress of her freshman. "The area that our freshmen have improved the most has been picking up the pace of the college game and learning the intensity with which they need to play," she said.

As the season continues, the coaching staff has also done a great job helping players understand their roles and develop their games. "In high school most of them were relied on for scoring; now they are asked to be a more complete player," Redeker said.

This season has witnessed Redeker's team post a better road record (5-2) than home record (6-3). "I'm not sure there is a reason other than possibly that there are less distractions leading up to the game," Redeker said about the record. "When they are on the bus going to a game, they can only listen to music, watch a movie, or sleep. We also have had a pretty difficult home schedule, so I would think that may have affected that statistic the most."

Great performance on the road is a sign of mental toughness and maturity with such a young club. Despite previous losses, one goal of this team is to hold serve on their home floor. The coaching staff's New Year's resolution is to be perfect at home in 2012.

So far, so good for the Cobras as they were victorious this past Saturday in their first home game of the New Year. After watching an 18 point halftime lead disappear against opposing Lewis and Clark Community College, solid play and execution saw the home team pull out a thrilling 85-80 victory. Lewis and Clark tied the game twice in the last 5:06, but could not take the lead. Poor shot selection down the stretch, along with Parkland's solid defense, was their downfall.

Hopefully, the momentum from this victory will travel to Springfield, as Redeker's team prepares to face Lincoln Land Community College tonight. They would also like it to set a pace for the rest of the season. "We must take one game at a time and win the majority of them to put ourselves in the top 4 so we can host a first round game in early March," Redeker stated. "Our kids need to continue to work hard each day and continue to improve and we will see where that leads." This team continues to show improvement. It should be an exciting run to the finish line. Be sure to support the team, whose next home game is January 23, at 5:30 p.m. against Milliken JV.