The Lady Pumas finished with a 5-20 record last season but head coach Brock Kearsley believes they did the best they could for their season. With injuries and lack of familiarity, the low points can be attributed to lack of experience. “It was kind of an up and down year, me being new, not knowing the girls,” Kearsley explains.

With the new year at hand, they have had to fill the shoes of seniors like Rachel Amerine who graduated last year. “That’s always a struggle, but our younger girls are very strong,” assistant principal and athletic director Jennifer Burks states. However, the Lady Pumas are ready to move forward and improve their game.

The team’s growth began with becoming more familiar with each other and improving game chemistry at a team building camp in Flagstaff last summer.  Additionally, they spent time playing games to gain experience and get the system down.

“It helped us grow so much…it helped us realize what we are capable of and what we should be able to do this year,” sophomore player Olivia Vernon says.

The Lady Pumas have learned from experience that the off season is detrimental to their success. Last year they did not take advantage it, but this year they are wasting no time to improve fundamentals. “We know that summers are important,” Kearsley states. “I was able to teach them all through the summer, [which] is the most important part of the season.”

This is all in preparation for a winning season against past contenders such as state champs like Hamilton, Mesquite, and Desert Vista, as well as Basha.  “I think 16 teams that we played made the playoffs last year in division 1 and division 2, so we have a really tough schedule,” Kearsley admits. The team had made a big commitment this year to work harder, put effort in, and do everything they can to make playoffs.

Burks says she’s looking forward to the Lady Puma’s upcoming season and predicts that the win-loss record will improve this season. “Basketball is one of those programs that’s really growing, developing…you could call it the up and coming sport,” Burks said.