High hopes for LLCC women’s basketball

The Loggers have had a very impressive start to the season. They’re currently 19-2 and ranked 10th nationally. They have had multiple wins against ranked opponents and their only losses were against the 5^th team nationally North Iowa Area and new #5 Illinois Central.

Head Coach Chad Jones on what the team has been doing well so far this season, “It’s hard to pinpoint on one thing we do well.  It varies from game to game.  We have a lot of kids that bring a lot of different things to the table.  Some nights we shoot well, some nights we don’t.  Some nights we rebound well, some nights we don’t.  We have the ability to play a lot of different ways and that certainly is a strength.  Every night is different. To this point, we have found ways to win.”

Sophomore Guard Jolene Bueker on the team so far this year, “Four out of our five starters are the same as last year. I believe this contributes to a huge amount because we know what to expect. The Loggers are playing 10 players every game this season instead of last season when only 7 were getting the playing time.

On improvements that can still be made this year Coach Jones believes that the team could get better focused mentally for the opponents. They are ranked 3^rd so they get their opponent’s best effort every time. Being more mentally focused can help the team avoid upsets in the tournament and the rest of the regular season.

Jolene Bueker believes the team needs to get their physical energy backup as it can be easy to lose some energy over the course of a long season. She wants the team to get back where they were before Christmas Break.

On Coach Jones’s expectations for the rest of the season “This team is very capable of making a tremendous postseason run.  It’s also capable of losing quickly.  If we keep focus and stay within our plan, I think we can be a serious contender to win a Region 24 title and get to the national tournament.  We have the pieces to be great.  The road gets much tougher now and things will tighten up a bit.  We just need to come to work every day and get better.  If we approach it like that, it could be really special.”

Bueker had a similar opinion on the expectations for the season, My expectations are hopeful. Of course, I would love to say we will win our region, and then move on to win nationals. We have a tough region, so it may be hard to make it out of. I hope that no matter how the season ends, that the last game we play, we play with the most energy and best attitude we could. It should be a fun rest of the season, and I cannot wait to see what we are capable of.