Purdy girls steadily improving, hope youth will utilize experience

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Two seasons removed from not having enough players to field a team, the Purdy girls basketball squad turned in three wins this year, but Coach Stephanie Heman said the record does not reflect the wins made in development.

“I would say we were about average this year,” Heman said. “We didn’t win many games, but we made some positive improvements. I think we got better at handling pressure and rebounding.”

Turnovers and free throw shooting proved to be key areas that limited the Lady Eagles’ ability to close out games.

“We have to take care of the ball and limit the number of turnovers,” Heman said. “We work hard defensively to get a stop or a turnover, and then we turn it back over. Also, free throw shooting must improve for us to be successful.”

One game that stood out during the season came a home win over a nearby rival.

“Our home game against Verona was probably our best game this season,” Heman said. “From start to finish, we played well. We jumped out and got a nice lead and never looked back. That was our first win of the season.”

Purdy’s lone senior provided effort and leadership despite limited recent playing experience.

“We only had one senior this year, Courtney Patterson,” Heman said. “She hadn’t played since her freshman year. Not playing for two years can put a player behind skill-wise, but Courtney always played hard for me.”

The Lady Eagles relied heavily on a young roster, which Heman believes holds promise for the future.

“We had eight underclassmen this year: three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen,” Heman said. “There is a great deal of potential in this group. We just have to keep working in the offseason to get stronger and more confident.”

While the win total fell short of expectations, Heman said the team remained competitive in several contests.

“We played hard and had the opportunity to win a few games had we shot better from the free throw line and had taken better care of the basketball,” Heman said. “They learned a great deal this year, and we need to continue to build on that. We continue to improve each year. I saw growth in different areas this year compared to last year. We just need to put it all together. We didn’t win as many games as we had hoped, but we did give ourselves an opportunity to win several games — we just couldn’t finish.”

The Lady Eagles finished the season with a 3-20 record, with multiple close losses highlighting the narrow margins.

“We battled illness and injury a good portion of the season,” Heman said. “We lost two games by 4 or less points and three others by 10 or less.”

Looking ahead, Purdy will focus on fundamentals and consistency in an effort to turn close games into wins.

“Obviously, we would like to win more games,” Heman said. “We are going to continue to work hard, get stronger defensively and finish those close games. We are going to focus on ball handling, passing and free throws. We have to play more consistently from game to game.”