Coach Matthew Mitchell and his Lady Wildcats are off to a great start in the 2014-2015 season. They are currently ranked No. 9 in the country after knocking off the Baylor Lady Bears.
Photo cred – University of Kentucky Athletic Department
Image taken from @UKHoopCats.
The Lady Wildcats of Kentucky earned an early season win over a top 10 team in the Baylor Lady Bears. The game was a hard fought game between the two teams that was not decided until the last two minutes of play. Matthew Mitchell’s squad turned up the defensive intensity to get the moment back in their favor after trailing by double digits for much of the game. However, it would be execution in the half-court late in the game that would seal the game for the Lady Wildcats.
With just over a minute to play, the Lady Wildcats had the ball and a one point lead. Coach Matthew Mitchell slowed his team down and got them into a go-to set to make sure they got a good look. A couple important things to note on this action:
CoachHemi.com Members can view the late game play and notes associated that the Lady Cats ran here:
[private]
1. Kentucky gets the ball to his best play-maker Makayla Epps around the elbow area. She is very good at getting to the lane with either hand and this is a tough spot for a defender to guard her.
2. Kentucky gets movement away from the action in the middle of the floor. This is a good lesson for all coaches, even minor movement can run interference for the real action.
3. The quick ball screen around the elbow area is more effective than the run out screen. The post defender here had a tough time reacting and as a consequence was unable to hedge the action well.
4. Having players who want to take big shots and are capable of hitting them are critical no matter what play you run. Jenn O’Neil is one of those type of players and she came through in a big way here.
View the PDF below:
[/private]
