The Ashland girls’ basketball team (0-2, 0-1) took a tough 56-46 loss to open the season in a non-conference matchup with the Norwalk Truckers (1-0, 0-0) on Nov. 24 despite a double/double by freshman Kennedy Lacy. The Arrows also lost the second game of the season to Ohio Cardinal Conference rival Mansfield Senior (1-0, 1-0) on Nov. 28 by a score of 58-32.
Against Norwalk, Lacy had 16 points to go with 12 boards, with seven of them defensive and five offensive rebounds. She also dished out four assists and had two steals on defense. Fellow freshman Cienna Steury also had 16 points, as well as three defensive rebounds, an assist and a steal. She was 4-for-10 from downtown.
Camryn Cox had six points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist in a game where she stuffed the stat sheet. Madison Hoffman also had six points to go with three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Grace Tobias had two points, two boards and an assist, while Alex Huckleberry gathered four boards, blocked a shot and had four assists.
Ashland is coming off a season where they went 4-19. The Arrows, coached by Renee Holt in her fourth season at the helm, have a goal of going out and competing with week after week. They have a young squad with Steury and Lacy playing significant minutes as freshmen.
Huckleberry is a senior captain and is expected to be a force on defense this year. Gabby Carver is a another senior captain who brings leadership to the Arrow squad. Fellow captain Cox, along with Hoffman and Tobias, return and will also be impact players. Last year Cox was second on the team in scoring at 7.4 points per game.
“We are a young team with little varsity experience but filled with a competitive edge that will help us compete,” Holt said.
Holt said she gets her coaching philosophy from her coaches at Ashland University including Robyn and Tim Fralick, and Kari Pickens. She said they knew how to win and play fast. This year Holt will be using pressure defense and on offense will “get the ball out and go.”
Holt is looking forward to the season, saying that this is a team that loves each other and loves to compete.
“The locker room is a fun environment to be in,” Holt said. “That is where the girls like to get pumped up.
Looking at the schedule, Holt is eying West Holmes as being a tough contender once again. She also sees New Philadelphia bringing a competitive edge, and out of the conference she knows Loudonville be strong again.
Next up is a non-conference matchup with Rogers on Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m., and then they travel to Mount Vernon for an OCC game on Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m.
