Written by Jake Mooney
The Lady Bison basketball team ended their 2021-22 season on Feb. 26 against Henderson State.
The women’s basketball team ended their season with a record of 18-9 and a conference record of 14-8. This allowed them to qualify for the Great American Conference (GAC) tournament.
Though the season ended with the team in a really good position going into the tournament, the season didn’t start that way. The season began on Nov. 12, 2021, against Emporia State. The Lady Bisons lost their first game of the season in the Rhodes Reaves Field House, and the next couple of games were a toss-up to how the team would perform, but slowly they started to gain traction on the hardwood heading into the spring part of the season.
“We began the preseason out of shape and had to spend a lot of time trying to address that,” women’s basketball head coach Tim Kirby said. “After the Christmas break, we got a little more consistent and won seven in a row and put ourselves in second place with a week to go in the season.”
Fast forward to the spring semester, the team got on a hot streak that led to the Bisons having an 8-10 record to start the spring. The streak would continue through the rest of the season.
“I am proud of this team and feel as though we had many good moments despite the ups and downs of the season,” senior guard Hannah Collins said. “We have grown in many areas on the court but most of all we have grown closer together.”
Sophomore forward Sage Hawley said the team grew close together during the journey.
“You couldn’t ask for a better group to play with,” Hawley said. “We have grown individually and together, which has shown in the court.”
Kirby said one thing that he has seen during the season is that the women really like each other, and spend a lot of time together.
Going into the GAC tournament, the team is looking to outplay their opponents. Collins said they know they can outwork any competition they come across and have shown they can throughout this season.
“If we play hard for 40 minutes, we know we have the ability to beat any team we play and ultimately reach our goal of being GAC champions,” Collins said. “But as of right now, our mindset is to take it one game at a time and to take each game one play at a time.”
The idea of being dominant reigns throughout the locker room this postseason.
Hawley said being dominant is the only thought the team members have in their minds while heading into the tournament.
