Lady Indians ready to roll

Comanche girls basketball coach Braydon Robinson did not have much of an opportunity to get settled in during his first year since he was hired mid-summer in 2023.

“It’s been nice, we actually had a summer,” Robinson said. “We didn’t get that much work done last summer because I wasn’t hired until July. So we were able to go to a few camps this year and it’s not like we are putting in a whole new system, we’re just kind of trying to add to it.”

The roster is also bigger this year though it is still small with 13 players, but with only 10 dressing out at the beginning of the season. Underclassmen make up the bulk of the team with six freshmen and two sophomores accounting for eight of the spots.  Two juniors and three seniors make up the rest of the team.

“We got some good, young pieces added this year,” Robinson said. “We’ve got some good freshmen and senior (Caity Ramsey) back out, so we’re getting them acclimated with the ones that were here last year. But the main thing is I’ve got more familiarity this year with them than I did going into last season.”

The Lady Indians went 7-17 last season and were eliminated in a hard-fought overtime loss at the regional tournament by Oklahoma Christian School.

The Lady Indians lost three starters to graduation, Kamrey Rendon, Kylie Roden and Emaleigh Parks with Rendon and Roden as the top two scorers.

Robinson, though, is expecting his two returning starters, junior Jayleigh Roebuck, who had a breakout season as a sophomore last season, and the reliable, hard-working senior Jentry Whaley back on the court.

“Kam was probably our best shooter and Kylie was our primary ball handler, but we’re going to try to spread out our scoring a little bit more this year,” Robinson said. “I can’t truly replace their point production, so we’re going to try to do it with five or six girls instead of just relying on one or two. Our starting five may change during the beginning of the season until we find the right five that clicks.”

He expects both Whaley and Roebuck to provide leadership on the team this year.

“We had a good group of seniors last year and even with Roebuck just being a junior, we still expect her to fill some of that void,” Robinson said. 

The Lady Indians will have good size in the post with Ramsey, senior Jillian Hushbeck and sophomores Drai Sparks and Maicee Combs.

“We’re only going to be as good as the young pups can go,” Robinson said. “So, we we’re trying to get those young pups acclimated to high school.”

Robinson said there will not be much change as far as the game plan on the court this year. 

“We’re going to push the ball down the court and get an early bucket if we can, but if not, we’ll slow it down, work it around and try to find a good shot. We’re going to play a little faster this year, but we’re still pretty low on numbers, so we can’t go Helter Skelter. We’ll pick and choose our spots.”

On defense, Robinson expects to use a lot of 2-3 zone.

“We’re going to mix in a little more this year,” Robinson said. “It will probably be 2-3 zone 70 percent of the time and mix in some other stuff in the other 30 percent.”

Robinson said the keys for the Lady Indians this year will be limiting their opponents to one shot, playing good defense and controlling the boards.

“On the other end, we’ve got to get the ball inside the paint whether it is the post or off penetration,” Robinson said.

Whaley and Roebuck will be handling guard duties with freshmen Raelee Ellis, Cassidy Smith and Cianna O’Conner playing key roles.