Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:
What a ride we have been on these last 3 weeks. I cannot describe the energy and excitement that has been circulating around our program. Lindsey, in last week's blog post, did a GREAT job of giving you an overall picture of how our season has gone, so I will just pick up where she left off. At the time Lindsey wrote, we had just beat Lincoln University to raise our record to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA.
This week was a LONG week of preparation. There are very few times during the conference season that we get to have more than 2 practices before we play our next game. However, with a Wednesday "bye", we had plenty of time to prepare for our final game of the first semester, a road contest at Southwest Baptist University (SBU). We took Sunday and Monday off to ensure that our players had ample time to prepare for a week of final exams and then we got back on the practice floor on Tuesday. We had 4 practice days to get ready for Saturday and try to finish the semester on a high note.
One area we have talked a lot about as a team, is the amount of experience that has returned from last year's team. I thought our experience was very evident on Tuesday and Wednesday. Often times, too many days of prep can really do a number on the focus of a team. Tuesday and Wednesday (a normal "game day" for us) have the capability to turn into lack-luster practices with little energy. It was very obvious that our players took the practice floor ready to compete, improve, and prepare for Saturday's game. After 4 days of very good practices we felt ready to go on the road, and compete very hard to win a basketball game.
Saturday's game at SBU was one of those games that a lot of people close to this basketball family will remember for a long time. Harold and Lena Mitts (Coach Mitts' parents) once again provided the backing for the "MOSO Spirit Bus" to head to Bolivar. Packed with fans, the bus met us in Bolivar and gave us great support! Many other Southern fans also followed the team to Bolivar and cheered us on and gave us an immense lift on the road.
In what proved to be a phenomenal game, we came out on top with a 69-66 win!! You can read all the details of the game HERE. With the win we hiked our record to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA. After all the other league games played out over the weekend, we now find ourselves in a tie for 2nd place!! We have now won 4 in a row and 6 of our last 7. The level of energy, intensity and competitiveness that our team has shown has been the biggest key to our success.
In a holiday season that should be all about giving, we want to give you our sincerest "thank you". There are a lot of teams out there that are simply a collection of individuals trying to work together to put a leather ball in an iron hoop. However, thanks to so many of you, our program truly is a family. We are blessed with so many things and it is only right that we take a step back in this season and remember to be grateful. So, from our family to yours, please have a safe and very Merry Christmas!!
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach
