East ignores rain, brings thunder against Abilene

Friday night was just what the Plano East girls basketball team needed.

Fresh off a defeat to Flower Mound and a Colleyville Heritage Tournament stint that netted more losses than wins, the Lady Panthers had an opportunity to recharge, get all their players onto the court and put forth a well-rounded effort from start to finish.

The sacrificial lamb: Abilene.

Pressured from the opening tipoff, the Lady Eagles struggled to counter the paint-savvy Lady Panthers, who rolled to a 76-43 decision.

“The girls had a lot of energy and intensity,” said LaGwenna Mingilton, East head coach. “We still need to work on some rotation areas, but I was pleased with them actually looking up the floor and aggressively going after the ball on defense to change it into an offensive possession.”

After graduating eight seniors from its 2008-09 squad, the lights shined bright on the East underclassmen Friday evening. Propelling the youth movement was freshman guard Jasmine Caston, who tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in her third foray on the Lady Panthers’ home court.

“[Caston] has the same facial expression if I’m yelling at her or if I’m cheering for her,” Mingilton said. “She still has some of those freshman mistakes, but she’s a dynamic spark to this team and has now got my offense flowing a little bit more.

“…She had a wonderful game tonight. I thought she played a very complete game as a point guard.”

Caston’s offense was complemented by junior center Kaylie Bell, whose 17 points set the tempo for a free throw-heavy East attack. Amassing 21 free throws on 30 attempts, the Lady Panthers’ ease in getting to the charity stripe helped build a 19-7 cushion by the end of the first quarter.

“[Free throws] are getting better,” Mingilton said. “I think in our first home game, we were 0-for-8 from the line in the first half, so we’ve been focusing on those free throws. I was very proud of that.”

Aiding the throng of free throws was a defense that forced Abilene into a plethora of turnovers. When operating against East’s man-to-man defensive front, the looks at the basket were infrequent early on.

The Lady Eagles tallied just one field goal in the second quarter — seven points total — as East trotted into the locker room with a 37-14 edge.

The hard-nosed defense was matched by an equally imposing offense that rarely settled for jump shots. Sophomore forwards Jordan Goforth and Paris Bridges chipped in 11 and nine points, respectively. Bridges’ efforts came off the bench, with plenty of minutes spread around to the rest of the Lady Panthers.

For a young team that boasts only three seniors this season, Friday was a ripe opportunity for Mingilton to gauge the chemistry amongst varying casts of players.

“It was good to see who works well with whom, as far as putting people out here in different positions,” she said. “Technically, we’re all guards except for Kaylie Bell.”

The second half, while a bit more nip-and-tuck than the first, saw East continue to attack with regularity. Outscored 39-29 over the final 16 minutes, Abilene buckled down and attempted to match the staunch East press break with one of their own; often surrendering more inside looks to Bell in the process.

After being held winless over the season’s first two home outings, Mingilton was relieved to get off the schnide.

“I feel better,” she said. “I’m a bit more comfortable. I was scared after the Richardson game and our second game in the Colleyville Tournament, but as I’ve seen the progress made, I’m feeling better.”

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