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Girls basketball Growing pains gone

Hernando Christian blossoms into a true district contender.

By KELLIE DIXON
Published January 14, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - In the past, a full-court press inspired panic. An uncontested layup wasn't a sure thing. And other teams likely expected better competition out of their junior varsity squads. That was life for the Hernando Christian girls basketball team three years ago.

"They would all see us as a joke so they would never take us seriously," junior guard Meredith Hanshaw said. "Every time we would walk in the gym, they would pretty much look and laugh. ... Now they know that we're actually competition. It's kind of nice to walk into a gym knowing that they're ready to play us."

Three years ago, the Lions posted three wins. Now Hernando Christian is fighting for second place in Class A, District 6. The team (8-4, 6-4 before Friday's game) isn't really big, but the players are quick. The Lions miss 5-foot-6 junior post Danielle Kuka (knee injury), but they've found a way to keep winning.

Rewind three years ago when Jim Bragg walked into the Lions' gym as the new coach. He had seen the team play before so he knew about their speed and willingness to learn. He was thrilled by the challenge.

Bragg's first season was devoted to the fundamentals - dribbling, shooting, just conducting a practice drill, like the three-man weave.

Bragg remembers his first official day with the team. The players were doing a basic lay-up drill. Twenty-one players missed before a basket was made.

"When we'd come down the court, we'd just throw it up there and try to make it fall in," Hanshaw said. "Then he told us the target to put it at. Once he told us that, everybody would hit the target and make their layup. It was pretty cool."

It also was cool for the coaches, who since have watched their team grow in confidence and skill. Hanshaw leads the team in points with 11.4 per game, and junior point guard Ellie Langley averages 9.1. Sophomore post Heidi Riley has stepped up, especially in the absence of Kuka, and leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.

"These girls, they all play hard, they all work together and they all get along," Bragg said. "We've got good continuity."

Bragg and assistant coach Krissy Sawyer, who previously coached a youth league together, taught their varsity players the youth league plays. The idea was to keep it simple and build from there.

"They were like sponges," Sawyer said. "They were so thrilled when we showed them some things, and when they worked their eyes were huge like 'It really did work.' "

That excitement never died down, even after the team lost Kuka to a knee injury. The Lions just stayed focused.

The team's youth makes it a little bit easier for the group to stay optimistic. Hernando Christian has one senior, Erika Wilson.

The Lions' feeder programs are young, too. The middle school squad is mostly seventh graders, and the junior varsity team is mostly eighth graders. Every practice, every game on any level is an investment in the program's future.

Bragg isn't shocked by how quickly his team grew up in three years. Given their attentiveness, he expected Hernando Christian would be a top team in the district.

Now the Lions can run 30 plays. They don't freak out when a team sets up a full-court press.

"We have no problem now," Langley said. "We just blow right through it. The faster we run and go through it, the better we do. The slower we go, we'll lose it every time."

Like last season when Seven Rivers pressed Hernando Christian en route to a blowout win. This season, Seven Rivers had different personnel, but Hernando zipped through the press the Warriors unveiled only a few times with ease. Seven Rivers defeated Hernando Christian 40-36 in mid December. The Lions are ready to host the rematch on Tuesday.

Hernando Christian's goal is second place in the district. Bragg expects Ocala St. John Lutheran to take first. If the Lions capture second, that will be the team's best-ever regular-season district performance.

Kellie Dixon can be reached at kdixon@sptimes.com or (352) 544-9480.

[Last modified January 13, 2007, 20:19:08]