Lady Rams Shooting For Greatness Next Year

For Highland girls’ basketball, the 2014-2015 season started out rough.  The Lady Rams lost seven seniors from the previous year’s squad that dominated region six play.

The 2014-2015 team opened with five losses in their first eight games, but juniors Nani Tonga, Lea Havili, and Juan Diego transfer Marlee Machon brought the life back into the program.

Tonga put up nearly 12 points per game, establishing solid post play throughout.  Havili scored over nine points per game, and was the leading rebounder for the Rams.  After she transferred from Juan Diego, Machon was not declared eligible to play varsity for Highland until the second region game; a win over Woods Cross on Dec. 30^th.  Since that date, Machon scored double figures in every regular season game except one, and the Rams boasted a 9-4 record.  Consistent play by these three leaders helped lead the team to a complete turnaround, and confidence heading into the playoffs.

Head coach Jeremy Chatterton says that the team really started to gel and come together.

“This team, more than any I’ve coached, has seen the most improvement from the start of the year to where we are now,” Chatterton said.  “We knew we had a lot of talent returning, it was just a matter of when we were going to be able to come together as a group.”

The Rams came into the 2015 playoffs with a full head of steam.  They had won six out of their last seven games, but in the playoffs, Highland fell to Mountain View, 54-49.

The first round loss was disappointing to the program, but it is plain to see that progress was made this year.  Highland’s five highest scorers from this past season will all return to the court next year to contend for a potential deep playoff run.

The tandem of outstanding Highland juniors will have the talent and the experience as seniors next year to wreak havoc.  Also, underclassmen Alex Debow and Macy Wilson will return as juniors next year, ready to face challenges head on.

Chatterton has almost 20 years of coaching experience, and he advises Highland fans to be ready for next season.

“There’s a lot of really positive things coming in the way for this program,” Chatterton said.

With experience and key returning players, Chatterton seems to be spot on when he says that the Lady Rams are shooting for greatness next year.