Lady Coyotes pick up first win of '16

The Dodson Lady Coyotes picked up their first win of the 2015-16 season last Tuesday against the Harlem Lady Wildcat JV squad in Harlem. The score was 55-34.

"We came out and ran our offense," Coach Brandy Hunter told the PCN. "We still had a lot of turnover but the big difference is that we ran our offense. It's the second game in a row that we have ran our offense."

The team was led by Shontelle Talks Different, who scored 20 points, 11 of which came in the second quarter.

"Shontelle is a solid player. She can shoot inside, she shoots outside," Coach Hunter said. "She's getting more confident with driving the lane."

Eighth graders Kailee Henry and Christina Jaynes also impressed, with Henry scoring 16 and Jaynes scoring 13. Henry was four-of-five from the free throw line, while Jaynes was five-of-eight.

"My eighth graders stepped up and made their free-throws," Coach Hunter said. "We're starting to see what we're capable of. Everybody is working together and pushing each other."

Talyssa Horn scored two points. Donna Dale, Kyla Racine, Shawnee KillEagle and Serena Cuts The Rope each scored one point.

After falling behind 13-8 in the first, the team huddled. That meeting would change the course of the game.

"We just had a conversation in the huddle about the type of athletes that they are," Coach Hunter said. "We talked about the way our program is ran, the things we are capable of doing and told them they are better ball players than what they were showing at the time."

She went on to tell the young team that they had to dig deep to find out their potential.

"I told them, I couldn't do it for them," she said. "You have to decide how hard you want to play and how bad you want to win the game."

The Lady Coyotes did an exceptional job in the final three quarters. The team outscored the Lady Wildcats 22-8 in the second quarter and then 14-8 in the third. The Lady Coyotes finished the effort by outscoring Harlem 11-5 in the fourth.

"The biggest hurdle was getting them to believe in the offense," Coach Hunter said noting that the team is best suited for a 4-1 offense. "We are very fortunate that we have an inside game and an outside game. I have more than one or two shooters that can shoot from either position."

Running a base offense has been an issue for the young Lady Coyotes, who sometimes under pressure lose focus of the team's scheme.

Another thing the Lady Coyotes showed was the ability to stay out of foul trouble while getting to the charity stripe on the offensive side of the ball. Dodson made it to the line for 23 attempts and made 14 shots (60.8 percent).

The Lady Coyotes lost 74-53 to Frazer on Friday night and then 59-37 to Lustre Christian on Saturday. They are set to play North Country tomorrow night in Dodson at 6 p.m. and Scobey in Scobey on Saturday at 2 p.m.