After the holiday break, the second season for French Camp boys and girls basketball teams began Tuesday with games against West Lowndes and will continue Friday with games at Coffeeville.
“I told my players the real season starts now,” said Lady Panthers coach Priscilla Anderson. “Whatever goals we set at the start of the season, now is the time to put those goals into motion.”
Panthers coach Robert Leathers felt his team was playing well before the break, with two wins in the last three games, including a victory over Ethel in the first Region 5-1A game. He’s hoping the break does not curtail the momentum.
After a winless season a year ago, the Lady Panthers entered 2019 with three victories. Scoring has been the reason for the improvement. French Camp is averaging 45.5 points per game this year, compared to 29.1 last year.
The addition of senior Madison Klein, is the main reason for the increased offensive production. She averaged 19.9 points for the first eight games. “She has been a godsend,” Anderson said.
She also mentioned improvement by freshman Jasmine Bonty, averaging 14 points, and the all around play of sophomore Jordan Carter.
Anderson said the key going forward is to “minimize turnovers. If we run our offense the way we are supposed to. We can score. But we can’t score if we don’t have the ball.”
The Panthers have also shown improvement this season. “The biggest thing is that we are sharing the ball,” Leathers said. “We’re a lot more patient. We’re not looking to take the first shot.”
There has also been an improvement in rebounding and defense.
Individually, Leather noted a “big jump” in the all around play of Cameron Smith, strong play inside by Holman Edwards, leadership by Clayton Leathers, the coach’s son, and the play of leading scorer Calvin Johnson (12.1 points per game).
