The week was not a kind one for the Lady Lions.  They faced Concordia on the road and played at home against Republic County, and lost both.  The bright side of the week was the announcement that Jara Shoemaker and Shea Shoemaker were selected as part of the Hoisington All Tournament Team.

Concordia came out on fire the first quarter and took an early 0-9 lead.  Minneapolis settled down after a time-out, and by half-time had played even and trailed 20-29.  The third quarter was solid for the Lady Lions, pulling within five at 34-39, and had possession of the ball.  A Panther steal lay-up and free-throw saw Minneapolis fall behind 34-42.  This gave Concordia a boost in momentum going into the fourth.  The Lady Lions were not able to slow the Panthers down at all in the fourth and lost 38-61.  “At the end of the third we were still in the game.  We answered them the first three quarters, but did not have enough in the tank to finish the game strong,” commented Coach Darrow.

Friday’s game was bringing Republic County in for a league battle.  A slow start for the Lady Lions only ended up an 8-10 deficit by the end of the first quarter.  The second quarter was an offensive nightmare for Minneapolis.  Defensively they played well, but could not put the ball in the basket.  In the third, the Lady Lions were down as many as seventeen points and there seemed to be no signs of turning things around.  “Through the first three quarters we were not all on the same page.  Some would be doing one thing and others were doing another.  I told them in the huddle that until we decided to be all on the same page and do the things that I asked them to do, we were going to continue to play poorly,” stated Coach Darrow.  In the fourth quarter, the Lady Lions came to life and pulled within six points and had a 3-point shot rim off.  After several FT’s, the Lady Buffaloes pulled away from Minneapolis 29-38.  “A team cannot reach its potential unless everyone will buy into the system, believe in it, and will work for the team.  That is the ultimate goal of every coach,” stated Coach Darrow.