Women's Basketball a Little Too Fresh

Consistency is the goal when it comes to the Lyndon State College's Women's Basketball team.

Part of the reason why the play of the Lady Hornets is lacking is the youth of the team: 10 of the 14 players are underclassmen.

Head Coach Vinnie Maloney feels that the young roster is still taking time to develop.

"It's youth, it's inexperience. A lot of it is a lack of confidence from us," Maloney said.

More time together has certainly benefited the team. After starting off with a 2-4 record before the women took winter break, the Lady Hornets have bounced back to a 4-6 record since.

Sophomore guard Chelsea Watson attributes the turnaround to improved defensive play.

"Our defense was one of our biggest weaknesses, but now it's our biggest strength… Now that our defense is there, it's like the whole picture. Everything's come together," Watson said.

The resilience of the team has certainly showed in spurts, as it was able to secure both a home and road win against Green Mountain College and Norwich College, respectively.

Watson thinks that the girls are more pumped to play than before.

"We finally have a consistent amount of energy. It's on the bench, it's on the court. No matter who goes in, the energy level stays consistent," Watson said.

Senior guard Naomi White believes that the team must go petal-to-the-metal in order to establish success down the road.

"There's really no time to stop and think about things. You just have to kind of go for it," White said.

As of right now, however, White only sees that happening some of the time.

"We have our moments. It's one of those things, in basketball, where you kind of have to come out ready to go no matter what," White said.

Certainly White, Watson, and the rest of their teammates cannot control the past. What they can control is the upcoming Saturday contest against North Atlantic Conference opponent New England College. Familiarity will be the key in this matchup, as the two teams faced off on December 3, with NEC prevailing by a 58-49 tally.

White is confident that the Lady Hornets can handle their business if the effort is there for a full game.

"We know that we're able to beat them (New England College). It's just a matter of putting in an entire game… We need that full 40 minutes to come out with a win," White said.

Watson believes that the team has something to not only to prove against NEC, but to the entire NAC conference as well.

"We kind of want that (NEC) game back. We want to prove to everybody in our conference that we can play with the best, compete with best, and beat the best," Watson said.