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Senior Wildcat Cameron Kahn moves by freshman Kordrick Turner during Thursday basketball practice at the high school gym. The Wildcats, state qualifiers last year, start the season ranked No. 5 in the state in the Class 5A poll by the Texas Association of Basketball coaches. The team will scrimmage Tuesday Mesquite Poteet at 5 p.m. The Wildcats play their home opener Nov. 19 against Pleasant Grove. Photos by Don Wallace -
Lady Cat assistant basketball coach Bryan Jones gives tips to Sulphur Springs players during Wednesday practice at the high school gym. Jones is a former assistant coach at Saltillo who is a new member of the coaching staff along with Katie Webster under head coach Brittany Tisdell.
Sulphur Springs | Basketball
Sulphur Springs basketball team ended scrimmage action and will return to the hardwood courts. Both teams want to build on last year's success as the season begins.
LADY CATS
The Lady Cats, 24-8 last year, have one starter back and are practicing each day after school.
"We are young, but we have a great group of coachable kids. Our defense is already looking better than we were at this point last year; that's been a positive. Our numbers are up, and we are looking forward to having three teams," said Coach Brittney Tisdell.
With 18 girls currently working out, the teams are being drilled hard on the fundamentals of the game, not just by Tisdell, but two new members of the coaching staff.
"My two new assistants are phenomenal. Both love basketball and are students of the game and bring such good insight and knowledge to our program. They are an answered prayer. Bryan Jones is from this area and his wife is from Saltillo. He was an assistant at Saltillo for a year, and then a head coach for three at Coolidge where they had a state tournament appearance, two years at Blum and one year at Iredell. Katie Webster is from Rockwall, and this is her first year coaching but she played at the collegiate level for four years, two at Long Beach State University and two at Tarleton State University. " said Tisdell.
The Lady Cats played Saturday morning against Mineola with games held at the middle school.
The girls play at Mount Vernon on Nov. 12. The next home game is Monday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. against Liberty-Eylau.
WILDCATS
The Wildcats, state semi-finalist last year, start the season ranked No. 5 in the state Class 5A preseason polls.
"We expect a lot out of our four seniors: Grayson Mc-Clure, Justin Brock, Cameron Kahn and Sadaidriene Hall. They are a veteran group who knows the ins and outs of my program. They have been a vital part of the program’s success the past couple of years. They are in a different pair of shoes now. I expect each of them to be leaders and impact the game in several ways. McClure's strengths are shooting and his basketball IQ. Brock's strengths are his passing ability and his poise under pressure. With Hall and Kahn, you get a solid mix of inside-out basketball. Both of these young men are so versatile with the basketball in their hands," said Clark Cipoletta, Wildcats head basketball coach.
The Wildcats were 29-9 last year and recently have strung together winning seasons that have packed the stands with fans.
"Our players have a variety of talent. We will need it in the upcoming season. We have a tough upcoming non-district schedule. We will see a wide variety of different talent. I have a veteran team who has played in a lot of big games. That experience will help us build off of last year’s successes," said Cipoletta.
The Wildcats play their home opener Tuesday, Nov. 19 against Pleasant Grove with the junior varsity at 5 p.m. and varsity at 6:30 p.m.