The 15th season of Brownwood Lady Lions basketball under head coach Heather Hohertz-Perez tips off at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Warren Gym as the Eastland Lady Mavs come calling – the first off consecutive home games to begin to the 2023-24 basketball campaign.
The Lady Lions return the bulk of a young roster from a 17-19, bi-district finalist squad a year ago, the 13th playoff in team in Hohertz’s previous 14 seasons as she amassed a 283-166 during her tenure with the maroon and white.
Brownwood lost two starters from last year’s squad, Mady Pyle and Kassidy Wooten, but return District 6-4A Newcomer of the Year Hannah Deen, District 6-4A Sixth Man of the Year Kimber Green, and second-team all-district point guard Icess Hall,
“Icess got her feet wet last year as a freshman,” Hohertz said. “She has a year under her belt and knows how to run the team and be the quarterback on the floor. Hannah’s going to move positions this year to our 3 and be more on the outside for us. We’ll utilize her athleticism in getting to the basket. Kimber Green will be stepping into a starting role and she’s very lethal from the three-point line.”
Other returnees with expanded roles this year will include Kate Tindol, Olivia Ringer and Miranda Northcutt.
Newcomers to watch are led by freshman Trinity Roberts on the inside, along with Rylie Schaffer, Nylah Hall and Adyson Neel.
“Trinity will play the 4 or 5 and help us out a lot,” Hohertz said. “She’s very knowledgeable about the game. She played a ton over the summer, she’s in the gym all the time and I’m excited to see her progress as the season goes on.”
Regarding the early impression the team has made on Hohertz during preseason practices, she said, “I’ve loved their energy and excitement to be on the court. We’re flying around to the ball which has been fun to see. X’s and O’s wise we have to continue to work on some things and clean it up and be ready to go by the time our first game gets here.”
Speed is among the team’s strengths this year for the Lady Lions, which could result in a different philosophy on both ends of the court compared to recent seasons.
“We’re really fast so we’re going to change up some defenses this year,” Hohertz said. “We’re going to press a little bit more this year, we’re going to push the ball in transition because of our speed. I think that could be a big bright spot for us this year. We have to continue to have people come off the bench and step up.”
District play begins Jan. 5 at Glen Rose, which reached the state tournament last year, but the Lady Lions have plenty to work on between now and then.
“It’s my job to make sure as a coach they’re ready to go every day,” Hohertz said. “Basketball is a long season and the grind can be something you dread, but it’s my job to make sure they’re excited to go every day. Continuing to gel, competing at the highest level and people stepping up when they need to step up. We need to find consistent scorers, find our flow, and get some wins.”
The highlight of the pre-district schedule is the 48-team TexasBank Holiday Classic, which will take place Dec. 27-29 and feature the largest girls field in tournament history.
“This is the first year we’re going to split divisions for girls so we’ll have a big school and a little school, so we’re really excited for that,” Hohertz said. “We encourage anyone who wants to volunteer to reach out and we’ll find you a job.”
Looking ahead to the District 6-4A race, Hohertz sees a chance for the Lady Lions to possibly improve on last year’s standing as the third playoff seed.
“Stephenville lost two key players from last year, so we have a chance to maybe slide into the second spot this year if we’re gelling and everything is clicking at the right moment, but that’s going to take a lot of work,” Hohertz said. “Glen Rose will be extremely tough as they went to the state tournament last year and only lost one. Anything can happen when you get to district, so we have to continue to compete, get better every single day and be ready by the time January gets here.”
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2023-24 LADY LIONS VARSITY BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| N7 | Eastland | 6:15 p.m. |
| N10 | Merkel | 5:45 p.m. |
| N14 | Sweetwater | 6:30 p.m. |
| N16-18 | at Hamilton tournament | TBA |
| N20 | at Early | 2:15 p.m. |
| N28 | at Jim Ned | 6:15 p.m. |
| N30-D2 | at Dublin tournament | TBA |
| D5 | Coleman | 6:30 p.m. |
| D8 | Goldthwaite | 6:30 p.m. |
| D11 | at Burnet | 6:15 p.m. |
| D15 | Springtown | 6:15 p.m. |
| D19 | SA Lake View | 6:15 p.m. |
| D21 | at Bangs | 6 p.m. |
| D27-29 | Holiday Classic | TBA |
| J2 | at Marble Falls | Noon |
| J5 | at Glen Rose* | 2:30 p.m. |
| J9 | Mineral Wells* | 5:45 p.m. |
| J12 | at Graham* | 5:45 p.m. |
| J16 | Stephenville* | 5:45 p.m. |
| J19 | OPEN | |
| J23 | Glen Rose* | 5:45 p.m. |
| J26 | at Mineral Wells* | 5:45 p.m. |
| J30 | Graham* | 5:45 p.m. |
| F2 | at Stephenville* | 5:45 p.m. |
| F6 | OPEN |
* District 6-4A Game