Lady 'Birds' chemistry works
By KRIS BAGLEY sports@leader-news.com

L-N Photo by Kris Bagley Hopeful Hooper Sophomore Ebonee Spencer has helped the Lady 'Birds on rebounds under the basket in her second year on varsity. Here she comes through with a layup.

A strong run in the Alice Tourney pushed the Lady 'Birds to a 9-1 record and rewarded a member of the team.

Angel Brooks, a junior on El Campo's varsity girls basketball squad, finished as a member of the all-tournament team.

She averaged 55 percent in shooting over the Lady 'Birds four tournament games and made 57 percent of her free throws.

"She has worked very hard the last two years and been a very critical part of the defense with rebounding and everything," Noma Kremling, head coach of the Lady 'Birds said. "This year, she's stepped up and is taking the shots and putting the ball in the basket. She's just being a lot more aggressive on offense right now. She's always worked hard on defense, but right now she's stepping up and being more offensiveoriented for our team."

Brooks finished the tournament with a total 66 points, 36 rebounds, 14 steals and 3 assists.

Angel Brooks

Kremling said she is excited about Brooks' progression between her sophomore and junior seasons and was quick to point out several other girls have improved as well, giving El Campo options.

"Last year, Ashley Brooks and Ashley Thomas were carrying the offensive load," she said. "They were scoring in double digits. This year, we've got Ebonee Spencer stepping up, Shae Solomon stepping up and Angel Brooks stepping up, so now we've got more weapons. That just makes it harder for the other team to focus on one girl. It's great when you have so many weapons.

"Chelsi Robinson has also elevated her offensive game. She's getting herself open constantly for shots. She's struggling with getting the shots in the basket, but when she's open constantly, they've got to guard her. Everybody's game has improved offensively."

The Lady 'Birds finished the tournament with a 3-1 record for fourth place. The wins came over Robstown, Laredo LBJ and the Alice Junior Varsity team.

El Campo's only loss came in a close game with West Oso, currently ranked fourth in the state in Class 3-A according to the Texas Girls Coaches Association. It was the Lady 'Birds' only loss on the year.

L-N Photo by Kris Bagley Giving Direction Senior Kela Johnson leads the Lady 'Birds' charge up the court almost every play. She has helped El Campo start out to a 9-1 record this year.

After dropping their first decision, Kremling said the team was upset. The atmosphere in the locker room after the game was dismal and Kremling was glad.

"They were devastated by it, but that's what you want," she said. "You want to be really upset, because the next game, you come back and want to have the attitude that, 'I want to crush you because somebody dared to beat us last game.' Too many times, the Lady 'Birds have been like, 'Oh well. No big deal.' It was a big deal this time."

Kremling said she knows losses happen and no team can expect to stay undefeated, but the change in attitude for the Lady 'Birds could be indicative of their potential in the rest of the season.

"I think a lot of it is the fact that we have experienced players and they have learned from their mistakes in the past," Kremling said. "They've learned from the mistake of not having good team chemistry from last year. They've done a real good job this year of trying to hold themselves together and not let distractions affect their play as a unit.

"The chemistry is the most important thing. They've fi- nally decided to stop the arguing amongst themselves and to take it out on the other team. So far, they've done a real good job of focusing on the task at hand."

The experience has helped El Campo put the past behind them and progress to a new goal - winning. It also helps that the entire team has improved in overall athleticism.

"Shae playing with them this year, she is a strong athlete," Kremling said. "She's a good rebounder and a physical, strong player. She brings a lot to the team. Ebonee's year of experience brings a lot. The two Brooks, they're juniors now, they bring a lot. Kela Johnson, this is her fourth year on varsity and that's a lot of experience there. Chelsi has improved her game defensively and offensively. Everybody has just grown so much."

Kremling said she knows her team has the potential for improvement and expects to see it in the next few games.

"I think we have just started to see that we can be good," she said. "I think we can be better. We can go faster than what we're going right now, we can have less turnovers than what we're doing now and we can shoot better. We can do everything better. I think it's a matter of confidence and attitude because the athletic ability is there. It's getting it under control. I think we can continue to improve if we continue to be focused and want it."

The Lady 'Birds will compete in the Brookshire tournament Thursday, Friday and Saturday.