A new era of Zionsville girls basketball started off with a bang on Tuesday night.
In the first game under head coach Jen Drudge, the Lady Eagles topped a good Crispus Attucks squad 70-50 to start the season.
âWe have been saying since the beginning we have great leadership from our upperclassmen,â Drudge said. âWe have a lot of young talent also. We really wanted to handle the pressure they were going to throw at us, and I think we did a great job of looking up the court, seeing who was open and taking advantage of them pressuring us.â
Zionsville led by three at the half, but at times struggled to get past the Tigers pressure.
Coming out of the half, they were more aggressive against the pressure, and it made all the difference.
Attucks tied the game on the opening possession, but the Eagles countered with a 14-3 run to take a double-digit lead for the first time after back-to-back baskets from Emma Tinder and Caroline Sampson.
âWe felt like the way they were pressuring us, that we could get to the basket,â Drudge said. âWhether it was running some sets in the half court to get the basket or getting out and running, we wanted to take advantage of them pressuring us initially on defense and get to the rim.â
A big benefactor of that was sophomore Emma Tinder, who had a career high 33 points in the game.
Tinder showed her versatility throughout, getting to the rim and making shots or getting to the free-throw line (Tinder hit 13 of 14 FTs). She also made two 3s.
âThe really cool thing about watching her develop is she has put in the time and put in the work,â Drudge said. âBecause she has put in the time and the work, she is playing with a ton of confidence. She is shooting it well, she is getting to the rim, sheâs rebounding well â and she has a lot athleticism and it is all coming together for her. She deserves it.â
Emily Zack had 14 points and five rebounds and Kenzie Chapman had 11 points, five assists and four steals.
Caroline Sampson had 16 rebounds in the game to go along with six points.
The Eagles got to the free throw line 27 times, making 22.
It was a strong start for the Eagles, who graduated a vast majority of their scoring from a year ago. Drudge said it is a good confidence boost for the Eagles, who now have 11 days before their next game against Roncalli.
âThis is a huge win for us,â Drudge said. âAttucks is a very good team with a lot of talented players. We knew it would be a dog fight tonight. We have been playing against ourselves for the past few weeks, and we thought we were pretty good, but then to come out tonight and play against another team and execute the way we did offensively was something to be proud of.â
Season Outlook
Through the pre-season workouts, Drudge has liked what she has seen from this group.
âEveryone on this team puts the team first,â she said. âEvery kid on this team is responsible on the court, off the court, in the classroom and thatâs how they come into practice every day, with the right attitude and unselfish mindset.â
The Eagles are coming off a 16-7 season, but graduated four key contributors â including three, three-year starters.
And while there will be some new faces coming in, Drudge is excited about the potential.
âWe think we have every piece that we need to be a really good team,â Drudge said. âWe are young and inexperienced, so there will be some bumps along the road, but we feel like when we put it all together, we are going to be a really tough team for other teams to match up with.â
The Eagles return Chapman, who averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds last year. Caroline Sampson averaged 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Drudge said the senior group â Sampson, Macey Ring and Lydia Smith â has done a great job of leading the group so far.
âOur senior leadership is unbelievable,â Drudge said. âNot only are they great basketball players, but they are great kids. They are everything that Zionsville Community High School, Zionsville Community Schools and their families would want out of three young ladies.â