The Florala Lady Wildcats (3-0) are off to a strong start to the season after clinching the championship in the 2018 Daleville Lady Warhawks tipoff tournament in Daleville.

“The girls played really hard,” Florala head coach David Bass said. “We are playing more aggressive this year than we did last year.”

Bass said the Lady Wildcats have pieces in place to make a strong run this year.

“We picked up Sharae Coleman in the offseason and that has helped out a lot,” Bass said. “All around we are doing a better job at protecting the ball. We’ve played well, but there is still work to be done. The future is bright for these girls.”

Getting better on the boards is something that Bass said the Lady Wildcats have to focus on.

“We struggled rebounding during the tournament,” Bass said. “We have to get more physical down low. Right now, we are missing Jenna Goolsby while she is recovering from a knee injury from volleyball. A lot of these girls played volleyball, so we are still working on getting into a basketball mindset.”

Bass said that the Lady Wildcats have showed a lot of resiliency this year.

“In every game we played, we had to come from behind in the fourth,” Bass said. “Against Slocomb, we were down by nine with just a few minutes left and we were able to fight back and win by seven. Last year, those are spots were we would concede defeat, but these girls are learning how to win. They are learning how to finish strong.”

This season, Bass said the Lady Wildcats will be led by experienced players.

“We have several girls that have been playing at this level for the past three or four years,” Bass said. “They are used to the pace of varsity basketball and I think that is something that will help us in the long run.”

The Lady Wildcats will be back in action on Tues., Nov. 21, at home against Zion Chapel.

“I’m super proud of this team,” Bass said. “They have a bright future and we’ve had teams calling us wanting to play. We just picked up a game against Geneva County. These girls have put so much hard work in this offseason. I’m excited and proud of them. I’m eager to see what the season holds.”