Over the summer, Tahlequah girls basketball had a strong showing, according to coach David Qualls – and they want to keep it up as the season nears.
With a returning starting lineup full of upperclassmen talent, the Lady Tigers were looking to put in the work this summer. Fast forward four or five months, and the Lady Tigers are back on the practice court, looking ahead to the first game in early December.
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“We had a pretty strong summer this year,” Qualls said. “I think our players are more confident and comfortable than they were a year ago. They know what to expect and how to handle certain situations. The experience that was gained is valuable.”
The basketball season officially opens at the start of October, but with other sports going on, teams aren’t fully assembled until closer to the start of November. That’s the case for the Lady Tigers, who have had about two weeks with a full team.
“So far, practice has been about knocking off the rust,” Qualls said. “We’ve had several kids just getting acclimated to being in the gym again. We’ve probably had eight to 10 practices with everybody together.”
The Lady Tigers are looking to build on a team that had five new starting players. In the 2024-’25 season, the Lady Tigers are set to return five starting players and several bench players, including Carsyn Gilbert, Lauren Stephens, Lakyn Adams, Riley Dotson and more.
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“We still need to value taking care of the basketball; that will be the key to how long this team will play in the postseason,” Qualls said.
The Lady Tigers are set for their last home scrimmage, Thursday, Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m.
