SUPERIOR – In what could be likened to a final dress rehearsal for theater, the Lady Bobcats basketball team played against one another during one of the final practice sessions before the games begin.

The team played a half game against one another. Members were split into two teams for the games, red and white. Head Coach Jeff Schultz said doing these games was good because it pulled everything from practice together. It can be different to play when the sounds of the crowd, the whistles of referees and the buzzers are added in.

“This was a good chance for us to get some experience [with that],” said Schultz.

However, Schultz was disappointed by the turnout to the game. There are approximately 22 girls on the team and several of them did not show up, leaving the team with only 17 members for the night. He said he had hoped for a full turnout to give the girls the full experience.

“I guess the girls had something to do that they thought was more important,” said Schultz.

The coach was forced to abandon his initial roster on how the team was split and made the best teams he could. The girls who did show up did an outstanding job and showed improvement in several areas.

The girls played well and were strong competitors. There was an almost constant stream of dialogue between both teams as members coordinated plays. Throughout the game the girls were completely in the competitive mindset and played as hard as possible, despite it being an informal practice game. The game ended with the white team victorious to a close score of 18 to 16.

After the half game, Schultz had the teams play a series of sudden-death games. One minute was put up on the clock and the scoreboard was set to 1-0. In the minute, the girls had to try to score as many points as possible. The first game saw the red team in possession of the ball while the white team defended their point. In the second one the rolls were reversed. The last match was determined by a game of rock, paper, scissors and ended up with the red team defending.

While neither team scored any points during the three matches, the lesson was the main goal. According to Schultz, the team has struggled with the last minute plays, where the clock is almost done and the last few points need to be gained.

“I thought that would be a good chance for us to improve on those,” said Schultz.

Bobcats’ Head Coach Chris Toivenen refereed the games.

While Schultz was proud of his team, there were some areas where improvement was needed. He said the team turns the ball over too much and it was something the team would have to work on this week.

“If we can’t do it, nothing we’re going to want to run is going to work,” Schultz said. “We have to learn to take care of the ball.”

The girls will also work on the game’s fundamentals with a special emphasis on scores. Schultz said a team could never practice these elements too much.

Schultz felt the whole team played very well. While the older girls seemed to be frustrated at first, because the younger girls were slow to get into the game, everything quickly picked up. However, while the younger girls may not have been the best at offensive and defensive plays, they had plenty of energy to move the ball around.

Schultz had no predictions for how the season would go. His main focus was to have the team improve over the season and become the best it could. If the girls did so, he felt then everything else would take care of itself.

The Lady Bobcats’ first games will be Friday, December 13, and Saturday, December 14, at the Drummond Tournament. The girls will play Seeley on Friday and Drummond on Saturday. Both teams were strong last season and are considered to be contenders for the top team of the season.

“We’re looking at two of the best teams, right off the bat,” said Schultz. “It’ll be a good experience for us.”