2016-17 basketball preview: Seymour Girls

seymour-girls

By Kary Booher

One week after the basketball season ended, coach Brandon Weiss gathered the Seymour Lady Tigers and put the road ahead in simple terms: A good summer could grow an eight-win season into the double digits.

And now that the curtain is about to rise on a new season?

“We had a great summer,” Weiss said. “I feel like 12, maybe 15 wins is possible. I think teams will underestimate us after the last few years.”

Confident from a strong turn at a College of the Ozarks summer tournament, Seymour hits the hardwood with several pieces that should translate into a more competitive roster.

It’s a team that has second-year starter Riley Harris, a junior, at point guard, seniors at shooting guard in Hailey Baker and center in Claire Williamson, plus juniors Maddy Barlow and Darbie Noonan at the forwards. The bench should be improved, too, although the team enters without junior Faith Pearce, who suffered a knee injury.

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All put in quite a bit of preparation this past summer. Weiss split them into various leagues, but the C of O tournament arguably showed Seymour what it could be. The Lady Tigers played 20 games in three days and competed well.

“They came out of it very positive,” Weiss said. “They were very positive anyway. But I think our expectation are a lot higher than what they have been the last few years.”

Williamson could be that “glue player” who holds it all together. She is a third-year starter who played 24 games last season, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. She also plays bigger than her 5-foot-9 frame would indicate.

“She’s undersized but uses her body really well against the other post players,” Weiss said. “And she does a good job of rebounding.”

Harris also is a key to the success at point guard. She emerged late last season as the main point guard, averaging 6.2 points and 0.6 assists a game.

“She’s got the ability to come off the dribble and shoot,” Weiss said. “She also does a great job of getting the ball to others. I’m expecting more from her, being a junior.”

Barlow was a key bench player last year and now moves into a starting role. She averaged 1.8 points and 1.9 rebounds a game last season.

“She did a great job in that role last season,” Weiss said. “This summer, she got hot (at C of O) and hit five 3s in (each of) four games.”

The bench will need to deliver as well, particularly because the team lost Pearce, a junior, to a knee injury. She may not return until late January, if that.

“It’s a big loss. She came off the bench last year,” Weiss said. “She did a great job of running the post or at shooting guard.”

However, look for sophomore Sam Kanel, freshman Libby Buchanan and Amy Herion as key reserves.

Overall, it could be a competitive team if it builds from its successful summer.

“Over the summer, they were putting time in in the gym,” Weiss said. “You could tell they wanted to be better. You could tell they were better with ball-handling and their shooting. … I feel like we have a chance to compete.”

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