Lady Cats set tone for season at team camp

By Andy Brown
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Updated: June 16, 2017

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It may not have been the ending it wanted, but the Louisburg High School girls basketball program received the shot in the arm it was looking for.

The Lady Cats improved by seven wins last season off of their three-win campaign in 2015-16, despite the loss to Spring Hill in the first round of sub-state that ended their year.

The season itself created an excitement within the program and Louisburg head coach Shawn Lowry wanted his team to continue to build on that momentum last week when they held their team camp.

Lowry had 36 high school girls participate in the five sessions last week and had 103 campers overall from first through 12^th grade.

“We had a very good week of camps at all levels,” Lowry said. “Our seniors did a great job of setting the tone for us with great energy, effort and leadership. The juniors and sophomores were very strong in their work, they competed for everything and are making some big strides in their development. I was impressed with the incoming freshmen group’s work ethic and their willingness to learn and compete.”

Although, the team improved a year ago, the Lady Cats will have a different look to them in 2017-18 as they try to replace the 5-member senior class that all played crucial minutes.

Incoming seniors Isabelle Holtzen, Mikayla Quinn, Haven Trageser-Turner, Lexie Reece and Ryan Caldwell are taking on the leadership role. Although they might not look the same on the court as last year, Lowry knows different players will step up and improve throughout the year.

“Although we graduated a great group of seniors, we have many girls returning that gained some good experience last season,” Lowry said. “As a part of that process, they know what kind of effort they will be asked to give, what kind of teammate they must be and that they have more confidence in themselves and each other.”

Even though the team camp is complete, the work is just beginning for the Lady Cat players and coaches. They will be hitting the weight room three times a week during the summer and will have a chance to participate in open gyms.

“Team camp is primarily about shaping our team’s identity through our work and competition during the week,” Lowry said. “Through the process, the girls learn about each other and they start to build trust in and respect for each other. It’s also about establishing a culture, a mentality with this group to compete and battle for everything.