As the preseason officially comes to a close, the lady bears are gearing up for the start of, what should be, a very exciting season for 2nd year Head Coach Prayer Branham and her program.
The preseason for the Lady Bears included the annual Jamboree, followed by 3 scrimmage games against Mesa – Benedictine, SAGU, and Bella Vista, where they went 1-2. The preseason games have given insight to how dedicated and hard working this group is, as they continually show up and are committed to improving from last season's 8-19 record. A point of emphasis for Coach Branham's teams are on the defensive end, and she is seeing her team "buy in" to her defensive principles daily in practice, which you can see the defensive intensity carry over into the games. Coach Branham has been pleased with what she has seen from her player's thus far but emphasizes that there is still much work that needs to be done.
The Lady Bears are comprised of many new faces, but also some key returners. Amani Green is returning and has shown to be an impact player this year after having a strong game vs SAGU scrimmage. Leslie Aguirre who is a skilled point guard and passer that brings an edge with her on ball defense, her grit and a toughness to the team that looks to her to lead. Adela Garcia is a red-shirt returner that has a strong presence around the basket, but also a nice touch from the 3 point line which makes her a threat anywhere on the floor.
New additions to the team include transfers Carina Mendoza, Aiyana Vela and Jamia Clark. They bring with them a level of maturity that only comes with experience. With all of them having collegiate experience, the high expectations the coaching staff has and the grind of a long season are nothing new to them. Lana Croker has shown to be great off the ball as she slashes to the basket and is able to create her own shot. Her poise and maturity for only being a freshman have shown, thus far, to be a huge asset. Jalynn Avila is an all around player that can play any position with the skillset to play close to the basket, but also the ability to offensive rebound and score from anywhere on the court. Auak has shown the ability to be a scorer from the mid range, but also has the footwork around the basket to be a big piece of the bears offense this year. Lastly, Christina Sausedo, Mariam Abakar, Vanesa Ledezma, and Lavinia Halafuka are all young talented guards that bring a strong presence of toughness and quickness that will be a great asset to the Bears this season.
With 10 new incoming players, the Bears are not short on challenges as they face this upcoming season. The focus of preseason has been on building chemistry both on, and off the court and seeing improvement with every game and practice. Coach Branham and staff are confident in their teams ability as they continue to focus on setting the foundation and showing the girls the building blocks for success. The Lady bears kick off regular season play on Saturday, November 5th at 2pm VS Arizona Christian University (JV).
