Crothersville’s Zoe Spangler looks to pass to Tiessa Stevens while being guarded by Lillie Weber of Providence during a game last season. Both Spanger and Stevens are seniors this season as the Tigers open the season tonight.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Crothersville’s Ella Plasse drives the baseline toward the basket during the Tigers’ sectional semifinal against to West Washington last season. Plasse and the Tigers open their 2021-22 season tonight.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Crothersville’s Kennadi Lakins brings the ball up the court on a fast break during the Tigers’ sectional semifinal game against West Washington last season.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
There is no doubt what the favorite part of basketball is for Crothersville seniors Zoe Spangler and Tiessa Stevens.
“I love scoring,” Stevens said as she looks forward to her third season starting varsity for the Tigers. “I think (scoring) is going to be kind of a mixture between all of us. We should run as much as we can.”
Spangler, Stevens and their teammates will open their season at 6 p.m. today at Clarksville.
Spangler said she is counted on for defense and rebounding in addition to her scoring.
“My responsibilities are to make sure I get in front of my girl, block out and post up. (Coach Kevin Hensley) wants us to post up, but I can also go out on the floor and shoot the 3. I like to post up down on the left block,” she said.
Spangler, who was second on the team in scoring last winter at 10.9 points per game, said she is confident shooting 3-pointers.
“I actually worked on 3-point shots my junior year. I came at 6 in the morning and would work on my shot constantly, so I’m pretty confident on the 3-point line,” she said. “I’ve always try to get the rebound because I’m one of the tallest girls (5-foot-10), so coach expects us to get the rebounds.”
Spangler said she likes to run the fast break, while Stevens said she likes to set up in the half-court offense.
Stevens, who averaged 2.3 PPG last winter, recalled last season, “I was pretty much there for the dirty work. Some of them were afraid of contact, so Kevin would put me in help with contact. I’m 6-2, and I like to play on the block. I like to turn around and shoot. This year, I want to score more. I’m starting to practice 3-pointers now.”
Stevens said she likes to play zone when the Tigers are on defense.
She is looking forward to a winning season.
“I hope we can win. We need to work hard in practice. I enjoy the aggressiveness of basketball,” Stevens said. “We have three new people, so it has kind of been hard, but we’ve been getting through it.”
The other two seniors returning are Kennadi Lakins and Ella Plasse. Lakins averaged 10.5 and Plasse averaged 2.9 points per game.
Spangler said the seniors are trying to be good role models for the younger Tigers.
“I think we’re trying to push everybody to get to practice, to work hard, teaching the girls the plays,” Spangler said. “I think we’re working pretty hard this season to make sure we have a successful season.”
Spangler said it is going to take teamwork to have a winning season.
“I hope we win a lot of games. We have a bunch of new girls, but basketball is something easy to teach, so I think if we work hard and we’re dedicated, we can win several games this season,” she said. “I have pretty high hopes for our team. Our team is a super close team. I enjoy coming here and feeling like you’re at home. Team bonding is one of my favorite things to do.”
The Tigers were 6-12 last season.
Hensley is concerned about the Tigers’ depth.
“We have three girls who have never played before,” he said.
There are 10 girls on the roster, so the Tigers will play a varsity-only schedule. Their home opener is Nov. 16 against Borden.