LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews women’s basketball team is a relatively young group, but they don’t carry themselves like one.
“They’re fun to be with,” head coach Yvette Sparks said. “Day in and day out, they are focused. They come to practice focused. They have tremendous perseverance and they’re just trying to get it done, learn the system and apply themselves.”
Ten of the 15 players on the team’s roster are underclassmen. Samantha Ring and Morgan Perkins, the Lady Knight’s top two scorers from last year, are returning for their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively.
Perkins nearly averaged a double-double last season, putting up 14 points and 8 1/2 rebounds per game.
“We’re much more confident this year,” Perkins said. “We’re ready to get to it. We’re energetic in practice. We’re listening and developing. The freshmen that are coming in, they’re getting the hang of things.”
The men’s and women’s basketball teams were both affected by damage caused by Hurricane Florence in September. Sparks said the three-week hiatus that resulted from the hurricane took its toll in her team’s ability to prepare for the season.
“The three weeks we had off because of the hurricane have hindered us, just with being in the optimal shape that we wanted to be in,” Sparks said.
But the team stayed connected during that time, and the coaching staff sent out makeshift workouts for them to do at home.
“We texted on the GroupMe (messaging application) every day, so we stayed working out and running,” senior guard Courtney Rowe said. “We came back in pretty good shape. I’m really thankful I have a team that’s reliable and accountable for what they’re going to be doing.”
The Lady Knights finished 10-18 last season. They posted a 7-6 record at home but went 3-12 on the road.
Rowe, a native of Sand Rock, Alabama, was the main facilitator of the offense last year. She tallied a team-high 125 assists and shot 31 percent from 3-point range, the second-highest mark on the team.
“We’ve got a bunch of freshmen, but we’ve also got six of us that know the drill and know what Coach Sparks wants,” Rowe said. “So we’re helping them out to get to where we are.”
Perkins was the team’s leading rebounder. She is a member of what Sparks calls the Lady Knights’ ‘leadership team’, along with Perkins, Ring and senior guard Kayla Clifton.
“They all have very unique styles of leadership,” Sparks said. “Morgan is the most outspoken one. When she talks, we do better. Courtney directs from the point guard position. Kayla Clifton is just a calm, cool and relaxed player, and we can depend on her for a lot of things. Sam, her actions speak louder than words. She’s always going to do the right thing.”
The Lady Knights start their season with a home game on Friday against Keiser University. They will then travel to Winston-Salem State University to scrimmage the Division II Rams on Saturday.
After that, the Lady Knights jump into Appalachian Athletic Conference action with a game at Brenau University on Nov. 7.
“We’re just taking it practice by practice, trying to learn as much as possible,” Perkins said. “Soak it all in, run through and execute as much as possible. These are big games coming up, and they’re very important for our goals and where we want to go.”
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