By DONN ADAMSON\Daily Journal Sports Editor

Published: Monday, November 07, 2005
Updated: Monday, November 7, 2005 11:10 AM CST

The MAC Lady Cardinals won their first two ball games this past weekend and are looking forward to having a really good season. Below are some of the reasons why and the results of those first two games.

Mineral Area coach Lana LaBruyere spent quite a few games with a depleted Lady Cardinal bench during last year's basketball season. Injuries and other factors left the Lady Cardinals with hardly a sub, and at least once without five players on the court.

But this year, Coach LaBruyere is smiling because she should have plenty of company on the sideline. Along with her assistant coach (and husband) Chris, LaBruyere will have nine players on the bench with her. That also makes her feel better about the season ahead.

“We've got more bodies,” was Coach LaBruyere's answer when asked how the team was going to improve on last year. “We'll be deeper all the way around. We'll be able to get after the ball, which we weren't able to do last year.”

The Lady Raiders were often foul-stricken in many of last year's games. Not that they fouled too much, but a player couldn't risk getting into any foul trouble with so few to take her place and give LaBruyere the opportunity to save that player until later in the game when they might still be needed.

Numbers, however, does not always mean success. Coach LaBruyere understands that and the players that MAC has recruited in the off-season is a mixture of height and speed.

“We'll be able to go inside and outside with our offense this year,” said LaBruyere. “We're going to work the ball inside as much as we can, because our post players are good and can score. When they get shut down we'll feed it to our guards, and we can score from there as well.”

Only one player is returning from a full season last year. Erica Anderson as a sophomore leader for the team. Also returning, but were medically red-shirted last year are guards DeAnna Anderson and Dionn Jackson.

Three other sophomores join the MAC ranks with guard Mayra Rios and forward Natalie Rozenfeld coming from Miami, Florida, and Romona Golphin from Blytheville, Arkansas.

The majority of players though will be freshmen starting their first eligible year along with Jackson and Anderson are Arkansas recruits Neicole Whitiker and Marquette Hollins from West Memphis, Britany Sublett and Fran Henderson from Conway, and Nikki Mitchell from Paragould. Missouri recruits are Dawn Leathers from South Pemiscot, Whitney Washington from Vashon, and Denita Brown from Jennings.

“We're going to come out of the gate running,' said LaBruyere. “We'll be as good as anyone in our conference.”

That was apparent on Saturday when the Lady Cardinals in their first game of the John A. Logan Classic at Carterville, Illinois faced up against the 19th ranked host team, the Lady Vols. The Lady Cardinals played them even up most all of the way, but came out on top of a 71-68 win.

The Lady Vols led at halftime, 35-33, with their biggest lead being seven points. “We kept a lot of pressure on them and wore them down in the second half,” said Coach LaBruyere.

Ten players contributed to the winning score. Mayra Rios led the team in scoring with 14 points. Whitney Washington scored 13 points, Britany Sublett had 11, Fran Henderson had eight, and Marquette Hollins and Natalie Rozenfeld had seven points each. Erica (Speedy) Anderson scored five points and Dionn Jackson, Romona Golphin, and Dawn Leathers scored two points each.

In Sunday's game the Lady Cardinals faced Oive-Harvey College and had a little easier time of it. “It was another team effort today,” said assistant coach Chris LaBruyere. The Lady Cardinals won by a score of 86-55.

Four players were in double figures for MAC. Whitney Washington led all scorers with 16 points, Natalie Rozenfeld and Fran Hollins had 14 each and Britany Sublett scored 12 points.

Next up for the 2-0 Lady Cardinals is the Jefferson College Classic this Friday and Saturday. MAC will play South Suburban on Friday and then face Malcolm X College on Saturday with both games starting at 1 p.m. The Lady Cardinals first scheduled home game will be November 21 against the Washington University J.V.'s.