The Bainbridge Ladycats finished 7-4 in an 11-game stent this offseason. The campaign came to a head Tuesday in Monroe, GA. The team played two games and won both. Head Coach Danny Evans said he saw his girls grow in confidence as the summer continued.

 

“When you start winning, it’s contagious,” Evans said. “Even though it’s summer, they know now that they can really win.”

 

Evan’s team played first in a Valdosta State Tournament, finishing 2-3. Evans said he was happy with how his players responded to his game plan. 

 

“We’re going to be faster and more athletic than we were last year,” Evans said. “We’re going to push the ball more this year,… the girls like the more fast-paced style of play.”

 

The team traveled to Tallahassee the following week for the Brooke Wyckoff basketball camp hosted at Florida State University. The team finished 3-1, thanks to a minute-and-a-half stand by junior Taliyah Ausgood in the final game to win by one point.

 

“It was a thing of beauty to watch,” Evans said about the game’s final moments. “[Ausgood] got rave reviews the whole camp.”

 

He views Ausgood and senior Miayah Williams as leaders for the team this year. The point guard-shooting guard tandem makes the Ladycats dangerous around the arc.

 

Lastly, the team traveled to Monroe for a doubleheader. The Ladycats bested Terrel County 46-22 and blew out Cook County 50-12. Evans played a press defense and said capitalizing on that high pressure was key to the girls putting 50 on the scoreboard. 

 

“We got a lot of steals off of our press,” Evans said. “We were running forward, fast-breaking,… our defense turned into offense. That’s what I look for.”

 

The head coach said he’s pleased with how the summer went compared to the regular season. The Ladycats went 4-24 during the 2022-20223 season. Evan’s said doing well this summer has shown the girls that the work they’re putting in is worth it.

 

“Now they can actually see what’s working,” Evans said. “They’re buying in every day to the process. To go seven and four over the summer was really, really good for us.”

 

The team will continue to work out during the summer. Evans said he will work on conditioning, fundamentals and skill work with the girls. 

 

“By the time we tip off [in the first game], you’re going to see a team of 12 to 13 young ladies that are all on the same page,” Evans said.