Lady Tigers set to kick off hoop season

The Mountain Home Lady Tigers kick off their 2004-2005 girls basketball season this weekend, hosting Eagle Friday night, and traveling to Centennial on Saturday night.

While numbers are down for the total high school girls basketball program, it appears to be something most of the conference is experiencing.

Mountain Home Lady Tiger basketball coach Karen Kohring is anxious to get the season going.

"We're excited for the girls that have turned out and we feel that we can be very competitive this year, and make a go of the season."

The excitement Coach Kohring feels for this season is generated partly by the experience she has coming back, along with the players moving up to the varsity level.

"We were really successful at the sophomore and JV level the last two years, so we're excited at the prospect when we could beat Centennial on both of those teams and be successful against some of the 5A schools at that level, so the level of play that those girls got, should add to the experience level coming up to the varsity."

The Lady Tigers have just three wins in the last two seasons, but Kohring is not concentrating on the win-loss part of the game of basketball for her squad.

"We could double (our wins) again, but that's not a real positive thing to look at. I don't feel that that is something we need to dwell on. Yes, we want to get the wins, and that is important, but the whole idea that we only won three games last year is not real positive, and I feel that we can be competitive. Again, the experience that these girls have gotten at the JV and sophomore levels the last couple years has only got to help us then at the varsity level."

The Lady Tigers open Friday night at home against Eagle in Lloyd Schiller Gymnasium. They are at Centennial on Saturday night, and go to Mountain View on Tuesday, Nov. 16.