by Clancey Cleveland
Dec 03, 2011

The Lady Tigers were putting the defensive pressure on the Lady SaberCats from the very beginning. The man-on-man defense was something the Cats didn’t have to deal with earlier this week against Yukon.

 

First few minutes into the game and Southmoore couldn’t get much done on offense - seemingly because the girls were busy figuring out how to stop Norman and their speed.

 

But then something clicked.

 

Southmoore’s defense lit up, stopping Norman in their tracks. In the second quarter, the tight man-on-man defense that Southmoore was now playing kept Norman to only 2 points, and it took them four minutes to score the lone layup.

 

“Even though the coaches tell us what to do, we have to react to what they throw at us and turn good defense into offense,” senior guard Brooke Worcester said.

 

Norman’s defense continued to be impressive. Even more impressive was the way Southmoore not only dealt with it, but seemed to learn from it.

 

“I’m really pleased, but we need to do a better job of taking care of the ball and keeping our composure,” Head Coach Derek Dorris said.

 

Another very bright point of the game came in the form of two very tall and very young forwards.

 

Freshmen Serithia “Mo” Hawkins and Kyeria “Kiki” Hannah hadn’t played many minutes together Tuesday against Yukon.

 

“They work well together instinctively,” Coach Dorris said. “The youthfulness showed up at times, but, at the same time, their athleticism helped out as well.”

 

For the two freshmen forwards, playing together is nothing new. The two have played together in AAU ball as well as in junior high.

 

“We can see each other on the court without even looking at each other,” Hannah said. “We just have fun playing with each other. She’s my best friend.”

 

Norman came back to within three points in the fourth quarter, but the Lady SaberCats pulled through, winning the game, 42-39.

 

“This whole game was a learning experience,” Coach Dorris said. “It’s a win, we’ll take it, but we are definitely a long way from our finished product.”

 

As the only senior on her team, Worcester understands the value of the learning from this game.

 

“Having a big lead and then it was tight, and we learned to deal with that and not let down and keep the intensity up,” she said.

 

Southmoore moves to a record of 2-0 and will play their next game Tuesday at Norman North.

For full highlights, check out the Dec 2 MMTV newscast.