By BRAD BAUGHMAN
For The Democrat
Trailing 47-45 to the visiting Northview Knights, the Brown County High School varsity girls basketball team emerged from their timeout hoping to get a chance to knot the score, or perhaps take the lead.
With just under 25 seconds remaining in last Friday night’s contest, Eagle guard Maddie Huff made a strong drive to the basket, but the junior’s shot was a little long.
The Eagles rebounded the ball and got a second chance. This time it was junior guard Lexie Austin who powered her way into the lane and put up a shot in traffic that danced around the rim before rolling off.
Two free throws from Northview freshman guard Reagin White with 8.4 seconds remaining gave the Knights a four-point cushion. Ava Stogsdill, Eagle freshman guard, then dribbled the length of the floor for an uncontested layup, and the last couple seconds ticked off to give the Knights the 49-47 victory.
First-year Eagle head coach Kamady Lewis may have been disappointed with the outcome, but she was encouraged by her team’s performance and not at all surprised by her two junior guards’ assertive play in the waning moments of the tightly contested game.
“I don’t know if the girls realize how capable they are sometimes, but they are,” Lewis said.
“They are so capable; they know what to do. They have the skills, especially Lexie and Maddie. They play year-round.”
Lewis knew her team would have trouble matching up with the taller Knights. Three of Northview’s starters topped out at 6’, while the Eagles tallest starter was 5’9”, with the other four all checking in at 5’7” or under.
Senior Abigail Watson, the Eagles tallest player who normally starts in one of the post spots, would see limited action as she works on coming back from an injury.
The size disparity proved to be no advantage for the Knights on the boards, though, as the Eagles limited them to only four offensive rebounds.
Three Eagles, senior guard Katie Tipton, senior forward Savannah Oden and junior forward Anna Stogsdill, each snared 10 rebounds, while Huff grabbed eight.
“We are a fast and strong team, and one thing we are constantly talking about is blocking out and rebounding,” Lewis said.
Northview’s length was problematic, however, for the Eagles’ offense.
“We want to play a high speed game, and tonight Northview did a good job of slowing us down in the half court, which is not necessarily what we want to do. We want to run and gun a little bit more,” Lewis said.
The Eagles did connect on four three-pointers, three coming in their strong 17-point opening quarter, but for most of the game when the Eagles drove or penetrated into the seams of the Northview zone, they were met with stout resistance.
Lewis said her team needs to execute their zone offense a little better.
“We want our girls to do a better job of penetrating the gaps, working the high-low,” she explained. She would also like to see better ball movement, via the pass.
“When we see a gap, we wait a second and we dribble a little too much on the perimeter instead of passing it around,” she added.
While the Knights relied on their tough zone defense, the Eagles stayed committed to a gritty man-to-man defense, a point of emphasis for the Eagle coach.
“I’m very proud of our man-to-man defense and how hard the girls work on denying the ball,” Lewis said.
Three players from each team scored in double figures. Senior guard Audri Spencer led the Knights with 15, while sophomore forward Brynlee Clarke scored 13 and White finished with 12.
The Eagles were led by Ava Stogsdill who scored 13, with 11 coming in the final, hectic quarter.
“We have Ava Stogsdill coming off the bench, and teams just don’t know what to do with Ava,” Lewis said.
Austin and Huff each tallied 10.
Under Lewis’s guidance, there will probably be more fast-paced action and down-to-the wire endings.
The first year coach is not new to the game, having played four years at Brown County High School before graduating in 2005. She is new, however, to the coaching profession.
After earning a degree from Indiana University in broadcast journalism, she anchored sports and morning news shows in six different states before moving back to Brown County in August of 2021.
While she takes over the helm of the girls’ program, her husband Ronnie will be in his first season leading the Brown County High School boys’ program.
Because the girls’ season starts ahead of the boys’, Lewis has been able to get some assistance from Ronnie.
“There is no chance I could do any of it without Ronnie. He loves basketball. It’s really the first thing we bonded over when we first met,” Lewis said.
“Whether it’s teaming up for open gyms, writing practice plans, or coming up with a game plan, he helps with every aspect. Needless to say, most of the evenings we do have at home, we are talking about games, how to adjust or watching game film — and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Lewis and her Eagles get a short reprieve from the game schedule and are not slated to play again until Tuesday, Nov. 29 when they travel to Mitchell High School.
With five games played, she has learned a few things about her squad and knows she has some depth.
“We have eight or nine girls that we play on a regular rotation. To have people who you can trust in a substitute situation, who can come in and do exactly what they need to do is a luxury,” Lewis stated.
She knows they are invested.
“They are patient, listen, and have bought into the system we want to run,” she said.
She knows they have been and will continue to work hard.
“They hustle, and the thing we don’t ever have to worry about is the effort. The effort is there; it’s all going to fall into place,” she said.
And finally, she knows she has a likable, if not loveable, group.
“I just love these girls so much. They are a joy to be around and so much fun to coach. I am so proud to have a small role in their high school athletic career,” she said.
Based on what she knows about her team, Lewis has some powerful but achievable expectations for the Eagles.
“I expect us to pull out some big, well deserved victories. I expect us to keep improving every game,” she said.
She knows her team is on the cusp of something powerful and positive.
“It’s exciting to know there is a breakthrough coming where all of it is going to really come together.”
