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Lady Busters open Sharp era at Seward
Published 11/5/2009 in Sports
By MIKE KESSINGER
mkessinger@gctelegram.com
Garden City Community College women's basketball coach Alaura Sharp has been through the Jayhawk Conference media day, and she's watched her team compete in scrimmages throughout the preseason practice schedule.
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Brad Nading/Telegram Garden City Community College's Cheree Freeman, center, and Deirdre Mays are returning for this season which tips off Friday in Liberal of the Seward County Classic.
Now, the first-year Lady Broncbusters coach will have her first chance to see how her team will handle game situations when it counts. GCCC opens its season Friday at the Seward County Classic in Liberal against New Mexico Junior College at 2 p.m. at The Green House. The team returns to Liberal on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off against Hesston College JV.
No matter where the team is at this point, the fact is the season starts Friday, and Sharp is ready to see just where the team is by the end of the game.
"I think New Mexico a good match-up for us," Sharp said. "It's probably the toughest match-up we've seen out of all of our scrimmages that we've had. New Mexico -- talent-wise -- is a lot better than they've been in the past. Athletically, they match up really well. They're small just like we are, which is nice."
The Lady Busters will be a little shorter this weekend than they will be for the rest of the season. Sophomore center Deirdre Mays (6-foot-1) will be the only player over 6-foot for GCCC. Garden City High School graduate Marisela Rodriguez -- who stands 6-4 -- has been suspended for the first four games after she was arrested in early August for shoplifting and removal of a theft device. Rodriguez received a diversion in the matter, and will be back in the Busters' line-up by Nov. 14 when GCCC takes on Eastern Oklahoma in the Pepsi Classic at Perryman Athletic Complex.
The good news for the Busters is that height isn't so much the concern, it's just being able to quickly get up and down the court, offensively and defensively.
"(New Mexico) is pretty athletic from the perimeter," Sharp said. "They like to attack the basket. If we come out and our mentality is if we're in a stance and ready to defend right away, then I think we have a chance. I think it's going to be a good game, and it's going to be a good test for us to see if we can hang with someone who is equally athletic."
Along with Mays, Sharp will have her other two returning guards La'Mesia Abbott and Cheree Freeman in the starting line-up, both averaged 10 points a game last year. An honorable mention all-conference pick last year, Freeman will also play forward in a starting group that will have freshman Victoria Naylor running the offense at point guard and freshman guard Aubrica Robins.
GCCC men's basketball notes: The Broncbusters men's team will play in the Ambassador Classic on Friday and Saturday in Colby. The Busters will open Friday against the Northwest Kansas All-Stars at 5 p.m. On Saturday, GCCC plays Trinidad (Colo.) State at 3 p.m. Both games will be played at the Community Building in Colby. The defending Region 6 champions opened their season Monday with a 76-68 home victory over McCook, (Neb.)
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