The Olathe girls had a list of goals they set out to conquer this year: Have a great regular season; win at the district tournament; host a regional tournament and win a state title.
So far, so good. The Lady Pirates dominated the regular season going 19-0, battled through the competition at districts, and now take on perhaps their toughest goal yet: the unknown.
 Olathe High's Morgan Stansberry looks to get around a Coal Ridge player during a game earlier this season. The Lady Pirates are hosting a 3A regional basketball tournament this weekend. They will take on Centauri at 7 tonight. (Joel Blocker / Daily Press) Advertisement |
Still, the Lady Pirates are excited rather than nervous, said coach Paul Althaus.
“We haven’t played them, but we’ve heard they are similar in size to us, rely on their quickness and pressure most of the game,” he said. “The girls are anxious to be playing someone new, because it’s tough playing the same teams over and over. You can’t beat the same team three times.”
It was evident at Thursday’s practice that the Lady Pirates are focused on themselves rather than their opponent.
“We know a little bit about them, but we really have to play our game,” said forward Morgan Stansberry. “We can’t change up.”
The strategy has worked thus far. The Lady Pirates are known for their high-powered offense and tough defense. Olathe also has a knack for taking advantage of opponents from the foul line ”nearly doubling opponents’ free throw attempts so far this season and shooting 57 percent from the line as a team.
“Our defense has really been the focus of our game,” Althaus said. “But we do have a number of offensive weapons who are aggressive and find ways to get to the line. That’s been a big factor.”
If the Lady Pirates’ defense hurts opponents, their offense kills the enemies. Three Lady Pirates are averaging double-digits in points per game this season. Emily Brummitt is leading the squad, averaging 13.1 per game; Stansberry follows with 11; and Tawni Middleton scores 10.4 points per game.
Even when the trio aren’t shooting up a storm, other Lady Pirates have stepped up offensively to help Olathe get the win.
Their team mentality has been the key to their success.
“Out of all the girls I have coached, this group seems to have bought into playing great as a team, not as individuals, the most,” Althaus said.
The team takes on Centauri at 7 p.m in Olathe. If the Lady Pirates advance, they will face the winner of the Denver School of Science and Technology v. Classicial Academy, who face off at 5 p.m. Friday in Olathe.
The Lady Pirates aren’t getting ahead of themselves though.
“Defense is going to be our biggest factor (against Centauri),” said guard Bretta Prosser. “It fuels our offense.”
Stansberry agreed.
“If we can shut them down, it’s going to make it easier on us,” she said.
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