Lady Wranglers sweep Long Creek in home doubleheader | sport

The Lady Wranglers made a statement Tuesday night with a pair of home wins for the Navy and White teams over their first-year counterpart Long Creek by scores of 61-33 and 46-32. respectively.

After a neck-and-neck race, the fluidity within the White team began to solidify as the Wranglers formed a unified defensive front and limited their opponents to as few points as possible. Although the offense was slow to find its footing at first, there was a glimpse of what was to come with players like Isabella Vellez showing some promising shooting ability.

The defensive pressure remained consistent throughout the second period as the Wranglers held their own. For most of the first half, the lead was passed back and forth like a trading card game, and the question of who would dominate going forward preoccupied the cheering fans. After an onslaught of rejections easily inflicted on the opponent, the answers came in the form of several successful offensive breaks, most notably in a crucial moment just before halftime – a breakaway and unchallenged layup by Addy Reynolds.

It was teacher recognition night at the ranch, and after celebrating the night’s true MVPs at halftime, the Wranglers got back to work. A sluggish start to the half invited the opposition to test the team and the momentum built at the start of the game was almost brought to a halt. However, the girls quickly found another gear and fought back hard to regain control of the game. As the clock ticked down, the pressure increased, prompting many fouls from the opposing team – which led to some excellent free throws from Cat Torres, who led Legacy Ranch with 17 points while Reynolds added 11 in the win.

The Wranglers maintained a commanding lead throughout the fourth period thanks to tireless coverage from the defense coupled with a fierce enforcement on offense that enforced nearly every play as the Wranglers continued to put points on the board. Several factors contributed to the overall success in the final moments of the game, but it was all a cohesive team effort that found its balance as they eventually dominated both ends of the pitch and secured victory.

As for progress, head coach Nicole Palmer shared her expectations for her players and – as if it were an excerpt from a script – the scene on the pitch played out well.

“We talk about getting one percent better every day – whether it’s practice, whether it’s a game – one percent better every time we step on the field,” Palmer said. “It just raises the bar every day.”

As communication between the players seemed to increase over the course of the evening, Palmer – as the organizer of the whole thing – offered insight into the basics of her team’s synchronicity.

“It’s really just their discipline and ownership of what they do,” Palmer said, giving an example of how she identifies the character traits that make a well-rounded team. “I’ll do little tests. I give them a task and see if they can do it on their own – it shows that they are moving on to the next level and aren’t necessarily relying on me to make that decision – they are capable of moving forward and doing it themselves .”

Whether it happens naturally or through rigorous training, the Lady Wranglers seem to have found a formula that works. If there were math teachers who attended the evening teacher appreciation ceremonies, one is confident that they would agree that – even at one percent a day – the resulting growth will be exponential and the sum of its parts will be this founding legacy will shape.