The Lady Warriors trampled the East Hardy Cougars Saturday night in their home-opener, 74-25.
The conference win leaves the squad with a 2-0 record after their win on the road last week over the Bath County Chargers, 48-25.

Lady Warrior head coach Mike Kane said the squad was a little sluggish to start against Bath, and they got into some foul trouble, but the girls played as a unit and came out playing better in the third and fourth quarters. According to Kane, last year, under veteran coach Tim McClung, the team beat both Bath and East Hardy pretty badly.

This is Kane's first year as head coach with the squad, but his coaching experience spans more than a decade. He said he feels like the girls are really starting to come together despite losing all-staters Chloe Bland and Miranda McNabb.

“We're really starting to come together,” he said after Saturday's showdown. “If we can keep working as a team and playing as a team, I think we can be alright. I'm very pleased with what I saw tonight. We didn't do bad. We did foul too much — a lot of fouls — where the clock stopped when it should've been running.”

Kane said they'll be mainly focusing on their offense and foul shooting in practice in the coming weeks.

The squad has shrunk a bit after the loss of Lorena Rose and Olivia Knisely to injuries, but fortunately Marka Kane, coming off a shoulder injury, was able to play — and led the team in rebounds.

Sophomore Tristin Day led the team in shooting with 20 points, nine of which were from the three-point line. Day also tied for the lead in steals with a total of four, and grabbed two rebounds. Bobbie McNabb contributed 12 points — half of them from the three-point line, as well. McNabb matched Day with her four steals, and snagged five rebounds. Freshman Melissa Murphy scored nine points, and Heather Snead and Marka Kane both scored eight apiece, Kane shooting four-for-four with nine rebounds. Junior Allison Jonese shot three-for-three from the floor with six points, plus a free throw. Senior Olivia Workman also shot one-hundred-percent, sinking three buckets. Junior Bethany Arbogast also sank every shot she took, adding another four points on the scoreboard. Lady Warrior Makeia Jonese snatched an offensive rebound and contributed an assist, as well. Junior Katie Friel snagged four rebounds and also ended up with an assist.

Kane already has his sights set for Tuesday night, December 4, when the Lady Warriors will host the Richwood Lumberjacks at home at 6 p.m.

“Richwood is our across-the-county rival. They'll come ready to play. I haven't looked at 'em yet but it should be an interesting game,” commented Kane.

Kane said he's already settled in, and happy to be on the court with the girls.

“I certainly am,” he said. “The kids have been great and they've worked hard. They have a good work ethic. They come out and play the game and just have fun.”

To see more photos of Saturday night's game, visit http://www.pocahontastimes.com/gallery/2012/12/05/lady-warriors-v-cougars