by Murray Kastner

contributor

The Lady Majors women’s basketball team comes into the season as defending regular season SAA champions. The team is once again looking strong with the leadership of All-Conference players Velvet Johnson and Miah Brooks, along with another solid recruiting class. Last season, the team finished with a heartbreaking loss in the conference championship, but they are still looking to put together a third consecutive run to the conference championship game. Although they have only been practicing for a short period of time, junior guard Velvet Johnson believes, “there is more chemistry early on in practice and we fully expect to win the conference.”

These ladies are a very talented group; however a good portion of last year’s championship team is not returning. The departure of Shante Morton, Lovie Love, Shae White and All-Conference guard Makayla Roberson leave big shoes to fill. The team will rely heavily on veterans such as junior guard Sam Perez, who feels another conference championship is a possibility “if we stay focused on our goals and stay humble.”

The Lady Majors open up a tough non-conference schedule on Nov. 15, which features games against Louisiana College and two trips to Texas. The team will be road warriors, not experiencing their first home game in the Hangar Dome until Dec. 18. Head coach Chuck Winkelman believes that this strong schedule will prepare his squad to defend their conference championship. Look for big things from these Lady Majors, and don’t be surprised if they hang up another banner in the Hanger Dome rafters at the end of this season.