Girls’ Basketball Preview: SMNW

Photo By Diana Percy

The girls’ varsity basketball team will play Shawnee Mission Northwest on Friday in the East main gym at 5:30 p.m. They are coming off a 32-70 loss against Olathe South. The Lancers lost to Northwest last year in Northwest’s stadium.

“Shawnee Mission Northwest is a really good three-point shooting team,” coach Lauren Lawrence said. “Last year, when we played them, they shot the ball lights out.”

East is planning on blocking all potential three-point shots. On top of this, one of Northwest’s best players, Brenni Rose, has graduated, so the Lancers are looking for a better outcome this Friday.

East, so far, holds a 5 and 10 record, while Northwest has gone 11 and 4.

The Lancers have been practicing new sets, like counter, which is continuous and doesn’t end until someone has scored or the ball has been taken away. They’re also working on increasing their intensity in order to compete with Northwest, which includes more cardio and a focus on executing the little things correctly during games.

“[Like] sprint[ing] to screens,” varsity senior Quincy Bair said. “Making sure you call names or catch ball with both hands. Sprint your lanes.”

This ensures that the team will not get behind in the first half, forcing them to make up for it in the second half, which is a problem they’ve faced during games this year.

Lawrence hopes sophomore Emma Eberhart will step up to play, despite being an underclassmen.

“She unfortunately was out with the flu this past game,” Lawrence said. “But I think she’s been a big difference maker for us. She’s more of a post player, and she plays fearlessly.”

The team has the advantage of younger players who, according to Lawrence and Bair, are fully integrated with the team. However, both think the team needs to work on communication and — again — keeping their intensity up.

Shawnee Mission Northwest is a really good three-point shooting team. Last year, when we played them, they shot the ball lights out.