Lady Wildcats Look For Improved 2019 Basketball Season

The Monterey Lady Wildcats begin their 2019-2020 basketball season tonight against Oakdale in Morgan County tonight at 6 P.M.

Last season Monterey lost six games by less than 10 points and second year head coach Mark Sims hopes an improved offense can help turn some of those close losses into wins.

“We’ve ran the floor better,” Sims aid. “We’ve passed the ball better. We’ve got a few more shooters than we had last year. So hopefully offensively we will be quite bit better.”

When the Lady Wildcats are on the defensive end of the floor Sims mentioned an older faster unit that can play with a little more pressure on the ball.

“We are a little bit faster,” Sims said. “Hopefully we can apply a little bit more pressure and get some more turnovers that will translate into easy baskets on the offensive side.

Monterey returns four seniors to the hardwood this season, Anna Hudson, Faith Walker, Kaitlyn Moorehead, and Grace Clouse.

Sims also looks for some a new starter and some younger players to step up for his unit this season.

“We should have some really good leadership coming back for us,” Sims said. “That’s really the key for us is to get some of those girls that we haven’t had in the past step up and give us some good minutes. That’s been the key to our success in the preseason and hopefully that translates over to the regular season.”

Monterey was picked in last place in their district this preseason by the other coaches in the district.

“It’s no secret and we have taken it personal,” Sims said. “It’s really given us some fuel to work hard and play a little bit tougher than maybe they have in the past.”

Sims and the Lady Wildcats have a goal to be in the upper half of District 6 Class A.

“We don’t want to sell ourselves short and say we are just trying to into that fifth or sixth spot,” Sims said. “We really have our eyes set to get into that top four.”