By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
November 1, 2004
After a 34-4 season and a trip to the 3A semifinals, the loss of two All-State players leaves Southeast Lauderdale staring at a rebuilding year.
A rebuilding year? At Southeast Lauderdale?
Head coach Joe Miller insists it's true.
And those sharp-shooting guards, Miller hopes, will be enough to offset the absence of Stacy Tate and Samantha Smith, who finished their careers with the Lady Tigers in March. Juniors Tiawana Pringle and Marqueta Reed, along with newcomer Lucy Ruffin, will all get plenty of shots in 2004-05.
Ruffin's youth is the rule rather than the exception on Miller's roster. The Lady Tigers boast just one senior, 5-foot-4 guard Angela Walker. Six of the 10 players on Southeast Lauderdale's roster are sophomores or freshmen.
But their inexperience is not without potential. Miller will thrust freshman Martika Ivy into the post to fill a crucial rebounding void left by Tate's departure.
Whether Ivy, Ruffin and other young players adjust quickly to their newfound responsibilities, Miller said will determine how far the Lady Tigers go.
2004-05 SCHEDULE: Oct. 30, West Jones (at Petal Classic) (W, 55-43); Nov. 6, at Choctaw Classic; Nov. 11-13, Lauderdale County Tournament (at MCC); Nov. 16, Kemper County; Nov. 19, Quitman; Nov. 29-Dec. 4, at ECCC Tournament; Dec. 7, at Carthage; Dec. 10, Newton County; Dec. 11, Neshoba Central; Dec. 14, at West Lauderdale; Dec. 17, at Northeast Lauderdale; Dec. 18, at MCC Classic; Dec. 30, at Sumter (Ala.); Jan. 4, Choctaw Central; Jan. 7-8, Sam Dale Tournament (at Kemper); Jan. 11, at Ridgeland; Jan. 14, Morton; Jan. 15, Sumter (Ala.); Jan. 18, at Forest; Jan. 21, Carthage; Jan. 22, at Quitman; Jan. 26, at Newton County; Jan. 28, West Lauderdale; Feb. 1, at Choctaw Central; Feb. 8, at Morton; Feb. 11, Forest.
KEY PLAYERS: Tiawana Pringle, Marqueta Reed, Angela Pringle, Martika Ivy, Lucy Ruffin