Photos Courtesy of Charla Shults
The Lady Harvesters (1-8) hosted the Plainview Lady Bulldogs last Tuesday before heading into the Thanksgiving Break. It was another tough game for the Lady Harvesters against a stiff opponent from the ranks of 5A. Pampa trailed 27-12 after the first quarter, 47-17 at halftime, 61-29 after three quarters, and the final was 71-35 in favor of the Bulldogs.
“I thought we played well in mini-stretches throughout. Our youngsters are growing each game, and getting better each game. When we settle down and don’t get rattled, we do a good job of playing how we are supposed to play. We were able to get some good, open shots at the hoop but we just couldn’t convert. We were able to corral 33 rebounds and knock down 9/13 foul shots,” Head Coach Clint Watson said.
The Lady Harvesters will be back in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Childress to face the Bobcats. They travel to Dalhart on Friday night as well. What did the girls do for the break?
“The primary goal for the break is to enjoy family time. We spend so much time away from all of our families, that it’ll be nice to spend 6 days with our families. We also need to rest and heal up. We have several girls that have some lingering battle wounds. We will get back in the weight room on Monday morning at 7 and then at 3 pm for practice to get ready for Childress and Dalhart this coming week,” Watson said.
What are some things the coach would like to see from the Lady Harvesters this week during the last little stretch before district play begins?
“I’d still like for us to be a lot more aggressive right from the tip. We still have moments of being unsure, but that’s due to being inexperienced. We are growing together but I would still like to see us take the next step together,” Watson said.
What can the folks expect from Childress and Dalhart when watching the games this week? Dalhart is another state-ranked team that Pampa will be facing as this tough schedule continues.
“Childress and Dalhart will both be formidable opponents this week. Going to Childress Tuesday, coming out of the break will be tough. They have a couple of girls that have some length, so we will have to use our speed to beat them up and down the court. We need to control the tempo and the rebounding. Looking ahead to Dalhart on Friday, that will once again be a tough game. They are currently ranked in the top 20 in 3A. They use a full court 2-2-1 zone press and then play man in the half court. We need to execute and play together. They have a couple of guards that will apply relentless pressure and a couple of post players that like to be physical and try to assert their wills. We have to match it in order to have success Friday night,” Watson said.
Despite the tough record to start the season, coach can see the growth and potential in the team. He is confident they believe in the process and will continue to get better and see success later on down the road during the district schedule.
“I know we are currently experiencing a rough stretch to start the season, but I see a lot of growth and potential in this team. They are such a blessing to be around on a daily basis. There are a lot of teams and players that would shut down or quit if they were to experience a stretch like this, but not this team. They can see why the schedule is tough and they are believing in the process that we talk about daily. I have known this group of athletes since they were 7th/8th graders and they are tough. They know that we are going to have the same team for the next 2-3 years. The girls are going to keep fighting and getting better and we will be in the thick of the playoff hunt, come district time,” Watson said.
Another exciting aspect of the week is Pampa is hosting a girls and boys JV tournament on Thursday and Saturday.
“It’d be nice to see everyone show up and support our youngsters,” Watson said.
Pampa Gold for the girls will play Bushland’s 9th grade team on Thursday at 9 AM in the Cavalier Gym. Win or lose, they will play again at 12 noon.
Pampa Green for the girls will play Sunray at 3 PM in McNeely Fieldhouse Thursday. They will play again, win or lose, at 6 PM as well.
The final game for both teams will be on Saturday at either 9, 10:30, 12, or 1:30 depending on how the bracket goes.
On the boys side, Pampa JV will play ACS on Thursday at 4:30 PM in McNeely. Win or lose, they play again at 7:30 PM. The final game for the boys JV team will be on Saturday at either 9, 10:30, 12, or 1:30 depending on how the bracket goes.
Stats
Tamblynn Moss had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Emmy Boutsamaly had 8 points and 2 assists. Karsyn Brown had 8 points and 4 rebounds. Madi Barton had 7 points and 5 rebounds. Brooklyn Warren had 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Again, the Lady Harvesters are back in action Tuesday, December 2nd at 6:15 PM in Childress. They travel to Dalhart Friday, December 5th at 6:15 PM as well. Pampa is hosting a JV Boys and Girls Tournament Thursday and Saturday. Next week, the Lady Harvesters travel to the Brownfield Tournament December 11-13th for the last tune up before district starts on December 16th at Canyon.
