Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s girls basketball team again expects to challenge for a state title.
Coach Damon Brown and his girls wouldn’t have it any other way.
Th Irish lost in overtime to Adrian Lenawee Christian in the semifinal last season. Brown’s team has started out 5-0 this year.
“We have a lot of new faces but the girls have responded very well and kind of have picked off from where we left last year,” Brown said. “I thought it would be a different of team, but as quickly as this group has grasped what we’re doing….It’s the same type of mentality. We’re still up and down with a quick tempo.
“We lost six seniors last year so I didn’t think we would be where we’re at right now. It takes awhile to get there especially when you have three freshmen and a sophomore up on the varsity for the first time. It’s a lot of learning, but they’re challenging themselves each day in practice to get better. They’ve been able to grasp what we’re trying to do so far.”
Senior Scout Nelson recently went over 1,000 points in her career.
“She’s been my starting point guard her fourth year now,” Brown said. “She has a great knack of making everybody better. That’s one thing I’ve talk to her about on how can she make everyone better.
“Also, junior Sam McDonald has picked up her game this year. She’s had to play behind other players but now can step into her own role. She’s a very solid defensive player. A big surprise for us has been a freshman, Delaney Scully. She went through our first game nervous the entire week. But she had 14 points her first game and was 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. She’s Scout’s shadow the moment she got into the gym.”
The team can still get better defensively, Brown said.
“We have to get better at talking,” Brown said. “At this level, you have to talk a lot. I told the girls you don’t win anything in December. It’s too early to tell. It’s a process, one day a time. If we can continue to grow and develop, anything is possible.”