Lehman girls basketball team has playoff dreams

by WES FERGUSON

This basketball season, the Lehman girls expect to run – and run, then run some more – all the way to the playoffs.

“We can tire the other team out because we’re in really good condition,” said senior point guard Amara Smith, a cross-country veteran.

“I like pushing the ball,” she added. “I’m always sprinting down the floor, looking for the long pass.”

With an eye toward the postseason, head coach Jamie Coy said the Lobos would take advantage of their speed and athleticism, relying on an aggressive transition game as they look to improve on last year’s 11-22 record.

“We have very few set plays,” she said. “We’re pushing the ball.”

Smith will be a driving force behind that run-and-gun philosophy. Averaging 13 points a game last year, she has court vision and leadership experience, according to her coach.

“The girls look up to her,” Coy said. “She’s the CEO. Without her, they kind of fall apart.”

Smith said varsity experience has taught her to handle game pressure, something she struggled with earlier in her high school career. Now she tries to lead her teammates by example, she added.

That includes offseason training. Since last year, Smith and the rest of the Lobos have worked on running drills and full-court sprints to build their endurance. They also lifted weights to get stronger, becoming “bullies in the paint,” in Coy’s words.

One player who benefited from the strength training was 6-foot-2 junior Ariana Gallegos.

“Ariana will be a key player,” Coy said. “She worked really hard and came back really strong this season.”

Fellow junior Bria Cheatham, a true guard, has moved into a forward position for the Lobos. Cheatham described her play last year as wild at times, but she said she’s been focusing on blocking out and ball-handling from the post.

The playoffs are within reach for the Lobos, Cheatham said.

“We know how to play,” she said. “If we’re playing as a team and reading our players, we’re actually a really decent team.”