Midland looks to exceed last year’s postseason finish

The Midland Lady Mustangs look to pick up where they left off last year and, hopefully, make it further in their postseason run. “I believe we will exceed what we did last year,” head coach Brett Barber said. Midland finished 17-14 last year, making it to the regionals. Returning starters include senior Morgan Combs, junior Lainey Parks and senior Emily Wood. Combs averaged 14.8 points per game last season, along with 9.3 rebounds. Parks had 13.7 points per game and averaged 3 steals, while Wood was 4.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. “Emily and Morgan rebound the ball well and are able to score close and around the basket,” Barber said. “Combs has the ability to shoot the 3 as well, so she can create some mismatches.” Barber said Combs has been contacted by a few colleges. “She is a good athlete who can play inside and out,” he said. At the perimeter, Parks creates a lot of steals and pass deflections on defense, Barber said. “She helps create offense from her defense,” he said. “[Sophomore] Madison Maples will help us handle the ball, as well as improve our outside shooting. “A good group of 10th-graders will help us with depth.” Strengths for the Lady Mustangs this year include length and athleticism, the coach said. “We will also be good rebounders and have some depth,” Barber said, “but it will need to develop over time because we will be young.” Midland will play Concord, Rural Special and Bee Branch — all games that will help decide district seedings for the tournament. “We will also have to face Mammoth Springs, and they are a very good team,” Barber said. “We play in a tournament in Hoxie over Christmas, and there will be a lot of bigger schools involved.” Barber said the Lady Mustangs will need to improve their overall outside shooting, and they do lack a lot of experience as a whole. “I expect to see us improve over last year,” Barber said. “We have a good mixture of experienced players and younger, good athletes who will learn their roles and contribute.”