The camaraderie that has brought the 2011-2012 STLCC lady Archers closer together, has given them a 15-9 record, with two games left in the regular season.
Spencer Gleason
-Sports Editor-
Spending eight months out of the year together, teammates often become more like a family. The camaraderie that has brought the 2011-2012 STLCC lady Archers closer together, has given them a 15-9 record, with two games left in the regular season.
Having already clinched the number one seed heading into the Region XVI Tournament after a 74-66 win against the North Central College on Feb. 18, the lady Archers will enter the tournament on March 9 and 10 looking to make another run toward a national championship.
“For me personally, this has been probably the toughest challenge I’ve ever had,” Archer head coach Shelly Ethridge said after a 65-59 come-from-behind-win against Lewis and Clark. “We had 15 new players at the beginning of the season and not only trying to make them become a team and get them to be able to play together, I’ve had to deal with my dad’s passing away. I kept telling them that if we hang in there we’ll get to know each other and start winning some games during the end; if we have trust and faith in our systems, and that’s what we’re starting to do right now.”
The Archers have won 10 of their last 12 games and have gone 11-2 at home this season.
“I don’t know what it is about home,” Cierra Gaines, freshman guard, said. “There’s nothing better than being somewhere that you’re wanted. It’s such a good feeling of being at home and you automatically want to win because you’re at home.”
Gaines, who has scored 220 points this season, along with 99 rebounds and 30 steals, has found herself in a leadership role.
“I’ve come a long way,” Gaines said. “Coming into college, I had the role of being a leader, something I’m not used to. From the beginning to now, I’ve learned a lot.”
The learning curve for all 14 girls on the Archers has brought them on the brink of achieving a historic moment for STLCC athletics.
“I think that they’re pretty happy right now and they’re pretty confident,” Ethridge said. “We know we have to stay confident and we aren’t putting the cart before the horse. We’re staying low-key and level headed and we’re focusing on one game at a time.”
