Coach: Lady Wildcats will do ‘whatever it takes to win’

The Hector Lady Wildcats are to be feared this season because of one simple reason: their attitudes. “We have really good chemistry this year; everybody understands their role on the team and is willing to do whatever it takes to win,” coach Luke McAnulty said. McAnulty is in his second year coaching the Hector girls team, and he will be assisted by Ben Freeman. Last year’s record was 18-5. This year, the team moves from 2A to the 2A-4 Conference. The Wildcats only have one returning starter, senior Evelyn Riley, who averaged 8 points and 9 rebounds per game last year. That’s not to say McAnulty doesn’t have some other talent on the squad. Riley and senior Andrea Sears will be tough in the paint. “They know what I expect from the inside; both girls crash the boards really hard and can finish around the rim. Both of them post super hard and are strong enough to have some big games this year for us,” McAnulty said. “They have a high motor and are willing to do whatever it takes to win, and that is our mentality we are trying to create here at Hector. On the perimeter, the coach will look to seniors Courtney Barnett and Alyssa Gililland and juniors Faith Barnett, Molly Haley and Shelby Hendrix. “All five of them can score and shoot the ball really well,” he said. “They understand what we are trying to do on offense, and that’s a huge key for this year. All of them are quick guards and can get up and pressure the ball at anytime. I expect big

things from the guard position this year.” Fans can expect to see a different style of play this year, McAnulty said. “We are going to play an up-tempo-type ball. We want to pressure the ball and play as fast as we can, much different than last year. We are going to try to get teams to play our speed. It all starts with defense; we are a defensive-minded team, and we are going to use that to our advantage.” In addition to chemistry and the desire to win, McAnulty said “our depth is also a tremendous strength.” “We have some younger players who I think can come in and give us some big minutes, and that’s always an upside to any team. We shoot the ball well and can really get in the passing lanes and defend.” He’s realistic about what the team needs to work on, too. “Rebounding is going to be the biggest weakness. A lot of times, we get caught standing and watching our post do the rebounding duties. All five of the girls on the floor are going to have to crash the boards for us this year. The size of our team could also be a weakness; we aren’t very big this year. When we play a good post, we are going to have to switch some things up and have a game plan for them.” Games to watch include Danville, Lavaca and Hackett. “Danville will be a tough one; they’ve got some good players over there and are going to be tough to beat. Moving into a new conference this year, we don’t know much about the other teams. Danville was in our conference last year, and those two games last year were some exciting games.” McAnulty makes this promise: “We are going to play as hard as we can the entire game. We are going to play fast and play defense — that is what our team is about this year. I’m looking forward to this year and can’t wait for the season to get underway. Hopefully, we will bring exciting basketball wherever we go.”