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Last season, the Christian Brothers University Lady Buccaneer
basketball team blasted their way to a 23-7 record and a Gulf
South Conference West Division Championship. The Lady Bucs
completed the greatest turnaround in NCAA Division II history
after recovering from a 5-22, injury plagued campaign the
season prior and went on to the first round the NCAA Division
II South Regional Tournament.
First-year coach Scott Groninger
has this year’s Lady Buc squad poised to retain their
GSC Crown and will push an aggressive defense focused on forcing
turnovers and ball control.
Senior guard Sarah Condra ended her stellar career in 2004
as the all-time leading scorer in Lady Buc history with 1,506
points. Her 368 career three pointers moved her into second
place all-time in NCAA Division II women’s basketball
record book.
Seniors
Returning as starters for the Lady Bucs are Chereny
Woodard (Memphis – Northside HS), Ashley
Smith (Memphis – Central HS), Jackie
Moore (Windsor, Ontario Canada) and Charle
Moore (Memphis – Northside HS). Jackie
Moore is the top returning scorer for CBU. Last season she
averaged 9.6 points per game and a team-high 6.2 rebounds.
One of the fastest and most tenacious defenders in the league,
Moore will help lead the defense for the Lady Bucs. Charle
Moore averaged 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds and returns as
the starting center. Woodard started in 27 of 29 games last
season averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds. She had a season-high
17 points against West Georgia in the GSC Tournament on March
5. Ashley Smith will be back in the lineup after averaging
6 points and 2.2 assists per game last season.
Junior
Mary Shea Hackett
(Nesbit, MS – St. Agnes Academy) returns after a season
away from the Lady Bucs. Hackett was a late season addition
for CBU two seasons ago when she played in nine games, averaging
6.3 points per game and 27 minutes per contest. Hackett should
be looked to as a solid ball handler off the bench and has
three-point range if called upon.
Sophomores
Kelli Gross (Memphis -- Houston HS), Ashley
Besinger (Southaven, MS -- Southaven HS) and Cameron
Todd (Chicago, Ill.) are the lone sophomores on this
year's squad. Gross will step into the starting point guard
role this year after coming off the bench last season. She
played in 15 games averaging 13 minutes before a knee injury
cut her season short. Gross averaged 1.6 assists per game
last season. Besinger played in 20 games last season. A presence
at the post, Besinger could be looked upon for late game replacement.
Todd played in 15 games last season, scoring seven points
and adding three assists.
Freshmen
This year’s freshmen class could be one of the most
productive ever at CBU. Carley Wright
(Mooresville, IN – Mooresville, HS), Michelle
Steele (Memphis – Houston HS), Kristen
Kirkland (Memphis – Collierville HS)
and Ponecia Anderson (Bartlett
– Bolton HS) all should see considerable time this year
for the Lady Bucs. Wright was a Basketball Heisman Nominee
and was named All-Conference and All-Area. Steele was named
her team and District MVP and was an All-Region selection
her senior season. Kirkland is a two-sport athlete at CBU
also running cross country for the Lady Bucs. A confident
shooter, she was her team’s MVP her junior and senior
seasons. She was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2004
while being named All-Region and All-District her sophomore,
junior and senior seasons. Anderson will be the team’s
number two option in the post. An athletic forward, she was
named one of the top ten seniors in the Memphis area by the
Commercial Appeal.
“This conference and the region are always tough,”
Groninger said. “We have a good core group of returning
players and four seniors that should provide leadership on
and off the court.
“Every member of this team will have their own role
to play. We know that defense is going to have to be a strong
point for this team and we’re going to have to be the
best in the league if we want to repeat what the team accomplished
last season.”
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