By MONTANA MCCULLOUGH, Student Reporter
During Christmas break our women’s basketball team went 0-3 losing some hard fought games by an average margin of 18 points with their record set at 3-9, they are looking to turn things around and go on a run.
Kylie Franz, assistant coach, had much to say about the Ranger’s upcoming season and their shining star, Kalea King. During the break King led the team averaging 19 points and 3 assists. Franz stated “King can do it all, she can attack, she can shoot and she’s a great leader on and off the floor.”
King is a dominant player and with her size, she uses her athletic abilities to finish over the much taller defenders. In the month of December, Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s athletic department announced King as the Blue Sky Media Athlete of the Month.
Franz has big plans for the rest of the season. “We are going to work on executing our offense to limit mistakes and work on our defense,” Franz said. “With all the hard work the ladies put in day and day out in practice, they are just beginning to make those strides towards the success they want.”
After their last game closing Christmas break against one of the top teams in the conference, the Rangers were down at the half-time by 31 points and came out the second half fired up. Winning the second half 51-33, but coming up short to win the game. With the momentum from their second half performance on their side, the Rangers will be tough to beat.
With more games underway, the Rangers have been fearless when it comes to being the underdog. Size has been a minor speed bump, but with how much effort and determination the Rangers have been relentless against their opponents in the conference. “Our biggest challenge is that we are very small and we are going to continue to face a lot of bigger people for the remainder of the season,” Franz said.
The women’s basketball team is playing against Oklahoma Baptist University at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Perceful Field House.