Perseverance Name Of Game For Lady Wolves

After a hot start, the JJC Womens Basketball team has had their share of adversity.

The Lady Wolves won their first three games of the season, and then dropped their next three. After beating Illinois Valley, they sit at 4-3.

It is still very early and they have plenty of time to respond. However, their response may be more difficult than it appears.

The Lady Wolves will go the rest of the season without sophomore point guard Naomi Mayes, who suffered a season ending knee injury against Lake Michigan College.

Mayes was averaging 13 points per game when she went down. She also helped to stabilize the offense. This is obviously a big blow for the Lady Wolves, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world.

“You hate to see any player get injured but in the back of your mind you know there is the possibility of it,” said head coach Shaun Sanderson. “Everyone has to dig a little deeper to give more and focus on the task at hand.”

Two star players in particular will have to dig deeper than they already have for the rest of the season.

Sophomore forward Chavon Banks has been a powerful force on the court, averaging 15.4 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. Center Hillary Dietahin has also been tough in the paint so far. She is providing 9.4 points per game while pulling down 13.8 rebounds. Their presence in the frontcourt will continue to be an important factor throughout the season.

Other than mental obstacles, there are some on-court problems that need fixing. The Lady Wolves are shooting a decent 40.1% from the field, but that number is bolstered by their effectiveness in the paint.

Their shooting percentage is impressively high, considering they are shooting only 24.5% from three-point range. Their free throw percentage is also below average at 51.2%. If this percentage improves even a little bit, they will be in a better situation at the end of each game.

How far the Lady Wolves go this year will depend on their ability to knock down shots and persevere mentally. With Banks and Dietahin anchoring the team inside, other players are going to have to step up and score.

If the Lady Wolves become one dimensional, it will be easier for opponents to game-plan against them and shut them down. Freshman guard Jamari McAfee joined the team after Mayes was injured, and has shown promise so far.

Sanderson said that he has been impressed with her ability as an additional scorer and ball handler. McAfee could prove to be a vital part of a team that desperately needs some outside scoring.

The Lady Wolves have a great chance to bolster their numbers considering that we are still early enough into the season. If they shoot well for the next couple of games they will be able to improve their shooting percentages drastically.

Having good interior scoring can definitely be relied upon until the Lady Wolves find their shooting stroke, but cannot be relied upon for too long. Once more of their jump shots start finding the net, their overall game should begin to flourish.

Luckily, they don’t have a conference game until Jan. 6. If they strengthen their game before then, they can still have a high seed by the end of the season. Sanderson is confident in his team’s ability to power through their struggles.

“Adversity is a part of life and sports,” said Sanderson. “Our response to adversity will determine our growth.”

The Lady Wolves have a potentially bright future, but must be able to press on.