Russellville Lady Indians basketball moves into the 2022-23 season looking to improve from a wavering year.
The Lady Indians finished its previous season with a record of 11-14 and were knocked out in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 8 Tournament by the Stover Lady Bulldogs 58-36.
Head coach Brian Bishop has been using the off-season to make changes to his team's playing style to make them a tougher team to beat. Bishop's 2023 roster includes the solid shooting core of senior Cameron "Camie" Grayson, and juniors Hallee Stewart and Ella Volkart. Russellville also has a strong blend of integral players as support, including junior Erin Schroer and sophomores Jenna Schulte and Kate Oligschlaeger.
"I feel like this year our returning players have a better grasp of our offense and the style of basketball we're going to play," Bishop Said. "Our top 3 scorers (Camie Grayson, Ella Volkart and Hallee Stewart) are returning from last year. So of course, any of them could have a big season for us. I wouldn't discount the other two starters out, as they have the potential to put up double digits points any given night."
The Russellville Lady Indians have gained a reputation in their conference as being one of the best defensive teams - something Bishop claims is the Lady Indians' greatest calling card.
Russellville will look to be a team that propels by turning defense into offense. Bishop also claims that the Lady Indians will have to battle not only a difficult schedule, but also some growing pains that can come up during the transition period from the off-season to the regular season. Still, Bishop is more than ready to get the ball of Lady Indians basketball rolling again.
"Our strength is our defense and physicality. We really focused on that last year and the girls picked up right where they left off this summer. Our girls are going to compete everyday and we'll see where that takes us at the end of the season. I know they are hungry and want to keep the momentum going with our overall athletics recent success," Bishop said. "If our community wants to watch a team compete and give it their all every night then I'd suggest coming out and supporting these girls as they show up and put in the work everyday."
The Lady Indians tip-off the 2022-23 season on Friday at Newburg.