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Photo by Nicole Flowers
October 31, 2023
Lady Bulldogs set to open basketball season with Tuesday scrimmage
By Brady Keane
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera girls’ basketball program is set to unofficially tip off its season today as the Lady Bulldogs travel to take on Devine and Hondo in pre-season scrimmage action this afternoon.
Bandera is under the leadership of a new head coach this season as Cody Carruthers takes over the program after spending the last six years at Sealy High School, including three years as the head boys’ basketball coach.
Carruthers will be the third head coach in the last three seasons for the Lady Bulldogs following Kierstyn Sells and Alex Oyola. Bandera was 12-23 last year and 0-12 in district play.
“Most of the players are underclassman and have a lot of potential,” Carruthers said. “My plan is to get more girls interested in playing and I have already done that. But there are still girls walking the halls that I would love to see playing. It’s all about relationships and we are headed in the right direction.”
Carruthers brings an aggressive mindset to the table for Bandera, hanging his hat on a playing style that emphasizes pressure defense in the full court and transition offense going the other way.
“I am a big believer in putting pressure on people,” Carruthers said. “We will press the entire game from start to finish if possible. This fits our personnel perfectly as we are pretty athletic from top to bottom. If we can get steals and layups, we have a chance to compete.”
The girls enter the season with a strong core of returning talent including Gabby Barrera, Taytum Moeller, Brooklyn Grabs, Courtney Frerich, Calie Tripp, Jocelyn Klein, Carly Serene and Maddy Garza. Carruthers is also excited about the addition of a strong group of newcomers that includes junior Kinlee Lawlis and freshman Jessi Battle.
The Lady Bulldogs began practice two weeks ago and have seen steady improvement through October as they prep for the start of the regular season.
“I am happy with the progress we have made,” Carruthers said. “I am excited to see how we stack up against two teams [Hondo and Devine] that gave us problems last year.”
Bandera will scrimmage Hondo and Devine tonight before opening the season Friday night at home against Gonzales. The Lady Bulldogs travel to Floresville on Tuesday, Nov. 7, before hosting IDEA South Flores on Nov. 10 and Fox Tech on Nov. 14
The Lady Bulldogs will again compete in one of the toughest girls’ basketball districts in the state with Boerne entering the season as the No. 3 team in Class 4A and Fredericksburg entering the year ranked No. 4 in the state. District 27-4A also includes Wimberley, Davenport, Navarro and Canyon Lake.
Bandera opens district play on Dec. 15 at Boerne.
“Our preseason schedule isn’t easy, and I hope the challenge toughens us up and gets us ready for the big challenge of playing in this district,” Carruthers said. “Our motto is ‘respect all, fear none’ and that is our attitude. We are going to show up and not back down to anyone we play and leave it all on the court.”
Bandera is under the leadership of a new head coach this season as Cody Carruthers takes over the program after spending the last six years at Sealy High School, including three years as the head boys’ basketball coach.
Carruthers will be the third head coach in the last three seasons for the Lady Bulldogs following Kierstyn Sells and Alex Oyola. Bandera was 12-23 last year and 0-12 in district play.
“Most of the players are underclassman and have a lot of potential,” Carruthers said. “My plan is to get more girls interested in playing and I have already done that. But there are still girls walking the halls that I would love to see playing. It’s all about relationships and we are headed in the right direction.”
Carruthers brings an aggressive mindset to the table for Bandera, hanging his hat on a playing style that emphasizes pressure defense in the full court and transition offense going the other way.
“I am a big believer in putting pressure on people,” Carruthers said. “We will press the entire game from start to finish if possible. This fits our personnel perfectly as we are pretty athletic from top to bottom. If we can get steals and layups, we have a chance to compete.”
The girls enter the season with a strong core of returning talent including Gabby Barrera, Taytum Moeller, Brooklyn Grabs, Courtney Frerich, Calie Tripp, Jocelyn Klein, Carly Serene and Maddy Garza. Carruthers is also excited about the addition of a strong group of newcomers that includes junior Kinlee Lawlis and freshman Jessi Battle.
The Lady Bulldogs began practice two weeks ago and have seen steady improvement through October as they prep for the start of the regular season.
“I am happy with the progress we have made,” Carruthers said. “I am excited to see how we stack up against two teams [Hondo and Devine] that gave us problems last year.”
Bandera will scrimmage Hondo and Devine tonight before opening the season Friday night at home against Gonzales. The Lady Bulldogs travel to Floresville on Tuesday, Nov. 7, before hosting IDEA South Flores on Nov. 10 and Fox Tech on Nov. 14
The Lady Bulldogs will again compete in one of the toughest girls’ basketball districts in the state with Boerne entering the season as the No. 3 team in Class 4A and Fredericksburg entering the year ranked No. 4 in the state. District 27-4A also includes Wimberley, Davenport, Navarro and Canyon Lake.
Bandera opens district play on Dec. 15 at Boerne.
“Our preseason schedule isn’t easy, and I hope the challenge toughens us up and gets us ready for the big challenge of playing in this district,” Carruthers said. “Our motto is ‘respect all, fear none’ and that is our attitude. We are going to show up and not back down to anyone we play and leave it all on the court.”