Lady Titans looking to avenge painful end to 2008 season

If Liberty and Wakeland can adjust to a higher classification this season, Frisco ISD has a puncher’s chance of sending all four of its schools to the playoffs in 2009.

The only team absent from the postseason a year ago was Centennial and it took an improbable buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the Lady Titans home prematurely. The Lady Redhawks did their best Wolverine impersonation and qualified for the playoffs in their first varsity season. Frisco and Wakeland both advanced to the regional tournament for the second year in a row.

All four schools return their best player and have an abundance of talent waiting to make an impact. If Vegas were setting the odds, bookies would be foolish not to stack the betting line in favor of an FISD sweep.

“I definitely think that can be a possibility,” Wakeland head coach Darilyn Krempin said. “All four [schools] are sitting in a good position.”

It may come down to getting out of each other’s way and not letting the Mexican crab theory apply.

“I’m not making any predictions for bulletin board material,” Centennial coach Wesley Charles said, “but of course it would be cool if it happened.”

Frisco Raccoons

Head coach: Bob Rose

2007-08 record: 36-4, 14-0 in district; lost to Lincoln in regional semifinals

Key returners: Shay Cooney-Williams, Tiffany Moore, Makenzie Simon, Jazmyn Dorsett, Kendall Schwantz

Impact newcomers: Brea Mitchell

The Lady Raccoons are again highly regarded in the state rankings to begin the season. The past two years that has been more of a curse than a blessing.

Frisco advanced to the state semifinals in 2007 before losing to Dickinson by two points in the final seconds after a potential game-tying layup went begging. Eventual state champion Lincoln somehow pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the 2008 regional semifinals with the most improbable of last-second comebacks.

Conventional thinking might suggest the Lady Raccoon window would have closed following two deep playoff runs. The exact opposite is true.

A team that went 14-0 to win a second straight district title last season is again brimming with star power. Pepperdine commitment Shay Cooney-Williams is one of the top guards in the state and is coming off a stellar season in which she averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3.5 steals per game. Junior forward Tiffany Moore, the ninth-ranked player in the class of 2010, can do it all on the court. A dynamic defender with a finely-tuned offensive game, Moore’s sophomore stat line read like this: 11 points, 7.2 assists, 6 boards and 3.3 steals per game. Abilene Christian commitment Makenzie Simon has started every game since her freshman year and averaged just less than eight points per game as a junior.

The Lady Raccoons can run with the best of them and may need to more than ever this season after graduating posts Dani Thomas and Kierra Mallard. Frisco did get a quality move-in in the form of Brittany Hardy, but the McKinney transfer will be forced to play on the JV team this season.

Nevertheless, the Lady Raccoons are again loaded and have more quality experience than any team in the district. The 9-4A title is Frisco’s to lose.

Centennial Titans

Head coach: Wesley Charles

2007-08 record: 16-16, 6-8 in district

Key returners: Jenika Sanchez, Brittany Barton, Carlee Johnson, Alyssa York

Impact newcomers: Katie Brakner

For Centennial fans, it was the shot heard around the world.

Needing a victory to cap the best season in program history and get to the playoffs for the first time, the Lady Titans led McKinney by two points in the waning seconds of the last year’s regular-season finale. But Lionette Whitney Polanco buried a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock to leave the home team in a state of unbridled shock.

“We haven’t gotten over it yet,” head coach Wesley Charles said. “It hasn’t happened yet, seriously.”

Charles compared the gut punch to a loss his former team back in Louisiana suffered in the state semifinals.

“It was that tough,” he said.

Just as tough is the murderer’s row of 5A opponents Centennial has faced early in non-district. The Lady Titans aren’t bowing down to anyone, though.

With three returning starters and a move-in that is expected to be the focal point of the offense, the team is as stacked as ever. To be sure, Charles called it the most talented bunch he has had in his time at Centennial.

The addition of 6-1 post Katie Brakner, a Flower Mound transfer, has allowed every player to return to a comfortable spot on the floor. As it were following the loss of Brooke Arthur and Felicia King, reigning second-team all-district selections, players were being forced to play out of position. Carlee Johnson, a power forward last season, slid down to small forward. Junior Kaci Chandler is now at the four, while Brakner is the anchor down low. Combined with talented guards Jenika Sanchez and Brittany Barton, the Lady Titans have a formidable starting rotation and a reliable sixth man in the form of Alyssa York, who can play four different positions on the floor.

Brakner is averaging 18.5 points and eight rebounds through five games. Though her scoring numbers have dipped, Sanchez, a reigning first-team all-district pick, has seen her assist numbers rise. Senior leadership won’t be a problem n eight of the 12 players on the roster are in their final year. A potentially treacherous non-district slate should prepare the Lady Titans well for 9-4A play.

“We’re hoping that makes us tougher for district,” Charles said. “This district is just as tough as it’s always been. It’s a war every night.”

Wakeland Wolverines

Head coach: Darilyn Krempin

2007-08 record: 30-5, 13-1 in district; lost to Roosevelt in regional quarterfinals

Key returners: Khristina Clemons, Ann Simmons, Haley Texada

Impact newcomers: Jackie Patterson, Jasmine Patterson, Ravyn Terry

From the moment the doors to the school opened, the Lady Wolverines have been a staple of consistency. Both seasons in Class 3A ended in the regional tournament. And if the first four games of Wakeland’s stint in 4A are any indication, a third trip to the big dance may be forthcoming.

The team returns three returning starters from last season’s co-district championship team. Khristina Clemons, who split the 9-3A MVP honor last season with Princeton’s Whitney Coffey, saw her first action of the season Thursday in a win over The Colony at the Allen Tournament. Clemons had been out with an injured wrist and finger. Senior post Ann Simmons and sophomore guard Haley Texada, both of whom were recognized on the all-district list a year ago, provide Wakeland with stability. Simmons dumped in a game-high 22 points Tuesday in a 61-29 thrashing of Little Elm that was noteworthy for another reason. Junior twins Jackie and Jasmine Patterson began their careers as Lady Lobos before transferring to Wakeland prior to this year. Jackie scored 15 against her former team, while Jasmine is expected to return soon. She will have an MRI on her injured knee Monday.

Along with Arlington Bowie move-in Ravyn Terry, head coach Darilyn Krempin fields her most potent team yet.

“I think we have the potential and opportunity to put ourselves in position to have a very good season,” Krempin said. “It’s nice to have new faces come in and click and get along with the girls. Everyone that is new to us is going to have a big impact.”

Injuries are the current concern, but the Lady Wolverines should get everyone back in time to gel before district play begins. Krempin knows the road will be tougher in a higher classification after picking on inferior 3A competition the last two years.

“It’s way more competitive,” she said. “This year it’s up in the air. It could be anyone’s game on any night. We have to be ready to play buzzer to buzzer every night out.”

Many of the non-district opponents include 5A schools such as Hebron that are accustomed to playing deep into February. The theme this season for the Lady Wolverines is “pay the price” for another championship. So far, only opponents are anteing up as Wakeland has yet to lose.

“The standard we have set at Wakeland is that it’s our expectation and goal to make the playoffs,” Krempin said. “We know it’s going to be a tough road. We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Liberty Redhawks

Head coach: Grace McDowell

2007-08 record: 15-17, 10-4 in district; lost to Nevada Community in bi-district playoffs

Key returners: Emily Mital, Amber Fleet, Elana Frank, Haley Pilcher, Dez Forsythe

Impact newcomers: Jasmine Vasquez

It’s easy to use youth and inexperience interchangeably when talking about a young team. That doesn’t apply to the Lady Redhawks.

Three returning starters are sophomores and head coach Grace McDowell is currently starting freshman Jasmine Vasquez at power forward because of the temporary absence of two post players. But Liberty has quality experience from last season’s 3A run that ended in the postseason.

“That’s invaluable. They got a taste of it and want more,” McDowell said. “They weren’t ready for the season to be over last year. I think they’re going to be hungry.”

Non-district will be critical for the Lady Redhawks to grow and mature before 9-4A play begins. Liberty showed its youth Tuesday against 5A Hebron, allowing the visitors to stretch a 22-21 lead late in the second quarter into a 37-24 advantage at half. Most of the damage was self inflicted. Hebron, which has advanced at least two rounds deep in the playoffs the past two years, went on to win 70-41.

“I was pretty fired up after watching the film,” McDowell said. “We did it to ourselves. It’s not often that you get beat by 30 and feel like you had a chance to win. We should have played much better.”

The opening game of the Allen Tournament on Thursday against A&M Consolidated was just the type of bounce-back effort McDowell sought after the sloppy loss. Liberty held Karla Gilbert, the No. 2 ranked post prospect in the nation by ESPN’s HoopGurlz, in check throughout.

In pitting her team against top players and opponents in non-district, McDowell is hopeful that it will pay off down the line.

“We scheduled a lot of tough teams to help prepare us,” McDowell said. “I think we’re going to be ready. I’m excited about this group of kids.”

Liberty will lean heavily on sophomore guards Emily Mital, Amber Fleet and Haley Pilcher. Mital was the Newcomer of the Year in 9-3A last season, and Fleet and Pilcher were both second-team all-district selections. The addition of four freshman, each of whom will see the court this season, provides even more quickness and depth. Where the Lady Redhawks will struggle is on the interior, both scoring out of the post and defending it. Rebounding consistently will also be a priority for a team that has only average height.

“It is a concern,” McDowell said of her somewhat vertically challenged lineup. “The nice thing is we have 12 players and I feel comfortable with putting any of them on the court.”

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