Women’s basketball looks to pry out of rut

By Gian Louis Thompson | gthompson@flagler.edu
Photo contributed by John Jordan

The Flagler College women’s basketball team is struggling with success as it looks to make a name for itself in the competitive Peach Belt Conference.

The Saints have lost eight of their last nine games. Head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery attributes the lack of success to poor ball control, absence of toughness and wavering desire to win.

“We’ve got to be tougher and need to have a more aggressive approach to winning,” Lang-Montgomery said. “We are very passive with the ball. We need to treat it like a prized possession.”

In their pioneer PBC season, the Saints hold a 6-10 record overall and are 1-6 in the PBC. The new conference isn’t the only unfamiliar challenge the Saints have faced. This season is also Lang-Montgomery’s first year as the team’s head coach.

“We are adjusting to a new level of quicker, faster, and stronger competition and to a new coaching style,” said senior guard Jalisa Foster.

Senior guard Lauren Bailie said a missing ingredient to the team’s success is consistency.

“We’ll start off doing really well and then get into these ruts,” Bailie said. “We need to be consistent for 40 minutes.”

As the Saints push through tough times on the court, they haven’t failed in sticking together as a team.

Senior guard Karlyn Reddish believes a collective effort to stay positive is essential to the team’s success as the season wanes.

“We’re still sticking together and wanting to end the season on a good note,” said Reddish. “We need to stay positive.”

Tonight, at 5:30, Flagler hosts North Georgia, a team that also stands at 1-6 in the PBC. At a practice yesterday, the Saints scouted North Georgia’s personnel and worked on defense and execution. In order to lift themselves out of their rut, the Saints will need to leave everything behind.

“We will need to play as a team, compete, and leave everything on the floor,” Foster said.

Flagler’s last victory was almost a month ago against Augusta State on Jan. 6.

Lang-Montgomery believes that in order to beat North Georgia, her team has to show its hunger to win.

“This is our home court and we need to have pride and defend it,” Lang-Montgomery said.