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Feb. 18—BIGGERSVILLE — Biggersville head coach Cliff Little always starts his basketball seasons with high expectations for his boys, but this year there were high hopes for his girls as well — and they are meeting them.
The Lady Lions (15-8) are on a recent tear, winning seven of their last eight, including a 62-55 win in last week’s Division 1-1A championship game over the four-time defending state champs from Pine Grove.
“We’ve had these expectations from the beginning,” Little said of his girls. “We kind of hit a wall early. We had three kids move in out of our top six and we were trying to figure out how to play with each other, really. It was a rollercoaster at points, but now we are showing signs of what we can do.”
Little believes the win over Pine Grove last Friday could be a catapult as they enter the first round of the Class 1A playoffs this week, with their eyes on the gold ball.
“I think our girls are finally believing that,” said Little. “We’ve been telling them that from the beginning but now it’s something tangible that they can kind of put their hands on and feel good about.”
‘Phenomenal’ sophomores
Seven of the eight players in the Lady Lions’ rotation are sophomores, with the other being an eighth grader. With so much youth, Little needed players to separate from the pack to put them in this position.
Sophomores Asia Stafford, Goldee Butler and Hannah Seago have each answered the call.
Stafford averages a double-double at 14 points and 11 rebounds per game. Butler is a load to handle with her 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest, and Seago handles the point guard role to perfection while pitching in 8.0 points per game.
“Those three right there have been phenomenal for us,” said Little.
As the No. 1 seed in Region 1, Biggersville welcomes Okolona on Saturday, weather permitting, in the first round and have the opportunity to host each of the first three rounds as long as its winning ways continue, setting up a real home court advantage, where the Lady Lions are 6-1 this season.
“We always talk about survive and advance, and get on to the next round,” Little said. “We are in a great position to be at home throughout if we can win each step, but we know it’s going to be tough.”
Twitter: @DillonBarnesDJ
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