Lady Cats Enjoy Success In Kentucky

Louisville, Ky., is a long way for a basketball team to go for a summer camp. Then again, El Dorado’s girls basketball team had a long way to go this summer. After going 7-3 at the Lady Cardinal Camp at the University of Louisville, Coach Bobby Harris believes his team has shown miles of improvement.

“I was very proud of them. We had some adversity and we stepped up,” said Harris. “We’ve really gotten better. That’s what we’re doing this for, to get better. I’m very proud of them.”

Seniors Nichole Aragon, Cortney Reed and Ava Robinson led El Dorado’s 12-player rotation, which also included juniors Wyneka Gray and Lindsey Walters. Sophomores Cushena Ford, Chasity Henry, Adrienne Aragon, Kelly Thomas, Merkeycia Carter, Sekenia Hicks and Brooke Mullens rounded out the roster.

“I think the whole team got better with our confidence, shooting their shots and defensively we got better,” said Reed.

The Lady Cats got a chance to see different styles of play, which was good. They still found a way to play their game, which was better.

“It was good to get out of Arkansas and see what kind of basketball other girls around the country play,” said Aragon. “Some of these teams slowed it down and we had to make them play our game.”

El Dorado just missed qualifying for the tournament by one game. Only four teams in the 57-team field made the tournament.

El Dorado finished the tournament Monday with a 30-23 win over Little Miami, Ohio.

“Nobody in our division beat them except us,” said Harris.

Henry and Robinson each scored seven with Mullens adding four. Reed and Carter each scored three with Gray and Thomas scoring two points apiece.

The Lady Cats’ downfall Sunday was a 41-39 loss to Prairie Ridge, Ill. El Dorado was down 18 with six minutes to go and had four opportunities to tie the game.

Robinson led the way with 12 points with Reed scoring 10. Gray had eight and Mullens six with Henry, Walters and Aragon each scoring two and Hicks one.

In earlier games, El Dorado beat Buckeye Valley, Ohio 37-36. Robinson and Gray each scored eight with Mullens and Thomas adding seven and six, respectively. Reed scored four with Walters adding three and Hicks one. Harris said Carter blocked eight shots.

The Lady Cats beat Louisville’s Mercy High School 53-52. Henry scored 16 and Robinson added 10. Thomas scored eight with Mullens seven and Reed six. Walters scored three with Aragon two and Gray one. Carter had seven blocks.

El Dorado blasted Cincinnati’s Hawthorne Brown 65-19. Walters led four players in double figures with 17 with Henry scoring 15, Reed 14 and Mullens 10. Aragon and Robinson chipped in six and four, respectively.

“The defensive foul rule made us play without fouling and that was huge,” said Harris. “We have gotten so much better defensively because of that rule. That might be the biggest contribution out of this whole thing.”

El Dorado went 7-3 at Louisville after going 4-8 at the Harding Team Camp in Searcy last week.

“The competition up here was about equal,” said Robinson. “You had your non-competitive teams and mid-level teams and the highly competitive teams. At Harding, it was either/or. They were non-competitive or they were real good.

“When we first came out, we were still kind of down about the Harding situation. The second day we picked it up and picked the intensity up.”

From a confidence standpoint, the Lady Cats are feeling much better about themselves on the ride home than they did on the trip to Louisville.

“Nobody could beat us but ourselves,” said Robinson. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way before. It’s the first time I felt nobody could compete with us. Nobody could stop us but ourselves.”

Harris believes his team built some mental toughness over the past week. Bouncing back from disappointing efforts in Searcy helped the team in Kentucky.

“Even through adversity, we came back out and played as a team. We didn’t get our heads down,” said Aragon. “Last year, we would get our heads down and we didn’t know how to get them back up.”

El Dorado’s JV followed up its 12-0 record at Harding with a 5-1 mark at Louisville. The team lost to Louisville Mercy 35-34 in sudden death Sunday. Walters and Thomas each scored seven with Hicks six and Henry five. Mullens, Carter and Adrienne Aragon each scored three.

The team beat Tallmadge, Ohio 28-21 with Thomas scoring 10 and Hicks eight. Mullens and Carter added six and five, respectively. Also on Sunday, the team beat Copley, Ohio 37-18. Ford scored 11 with Thomas and Henry adding seven and six, respectively. Mullens and Carter each scored four with Gray three and Adrienne Aragon two.

Monday morning, the team beat Prairie Ridge, Ill., 36-31. Hicks led the way with 12 with Gray scoring seven and Carter five. Thomas and Adrienne Aragon scored four with Henry, Mullens and Ford each scoring two.

“They showed a lot of grit,” said Harris. “They showed how much we grew out here.”

El Dorado takes some time off before going to the Central Arkansas Team Camp in Conway July 28-30.