The Presbyterian Christian girls are off to their best start since 2014 as the Lady Bobcats improved to 17-1 after a dominant 64-29 on Monday as part of the school’s Hub City Bash basketball tournament.
PCS made quick out of McLaurin after jumping out to a 21-6 lead in the first quarter.
“We felt like we could pressure them,” PCS coach Drew Smith said. “We have really kind of bought into pressure defense and getting into people’s faces all year. It wasn’t anything special we just did what we always do.”
The same result followed in the second quarter, with PCS holding a 43-15 lead at the half. For Smith, the win and the season’s turnaround success compared to last year’s 17-14 mark is just another product of his team beginning to show maturity.
“I think we have some young girls that are stepping up,” Smith said. “Last year, we were probably one of the youngest teams in the league. I had a freshman starting. I had a couple of sophomores and a couple of juniors are starting. Now we are starting to grow up a little bit. We just have gotten better. Last year, also COVID really hurt us a lot. We weren’t able to have any summer practice, and this year that’s been a big help for us. We have some kids growing up and buying into what we do. It’s paying off for us.”
One of the key players to show signs of maturity is sophomore Addyson Sherer, who was the team’s leading scorer last season, as she put up all 14 of her points in the first half.
“She has definitely improved from the skill side, and on the maturity side, she is better,” Smith said. “She has kind of embraced her role. Last year, at least in the first half of the season, she kind of sat back a bit and wasn’t used to being the go-to, and now she has embraced that role. She knows what she has to do. Now we are trying to get her to learn to find the balance of when I need to be the dog and when to shoot. She’s learning, and that’s been the biggest thing is the majority in her.”
The Lady Bobcats cruised in the second and added 21 more points to close the game out. Leading the team in scoring on Monday was Emilee McNair, who scored 15 points, while Meyah Doyle also put up 10 points.
“We are playing a lot of the same teams from last year,” Smith said. “We lost to them last year, and this year we are beating them. We have some really good wins on the schedule. We are growing up. That’s a good thing because we’ll have to once we get into January.
“I think we are winning, but I don’t think we are playing our best basketball. I think we have a lot of improving left to do. That’s what’s exciting for me. I haven’t seen us play our best basketball yet.”
