Schools
U City Girls Hoops: ‘A Work In Progress’
Lions were 2-23 last year, but opened this season with 45-28 win over Normandy.
The University City Lions girls basketball team got its 2011-12 season off to a roaring start Wednesday night, when it defeated crosstown rival Normandy High School 45-28.
The victory marked the second straight year the Lions began their season with a win over the Vikings.
Last year though, U City went on to win only one other game all season.
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A 2-23 season proved to be a difficult one to take for the Lions' hoops program, but coach Janice Thompkins believes the group she has this season is in for a better year this year.
“What you have to understand is in the four years before I got here, they only won four games here,” Thompkins said. “So we’re in a work-in-progress situation, and it’s going to take some time.”
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One place where Thompkins believes the Lions are set is at point guard, where playmaking senior and team captain Autumn Jacobs runs the show.
Last season, Jacobs’ first as U City’s point guard, the 5-foot-7-inch dribbling machine averaged 8.2 points and 3.3 assists a game.
Against Normandy, Jacobs, who clearly has a much better feel for running the Lions’ offense, scored just 7 points, but added 8 assists to lead the team to the win.
Fellow seniors Breonna Conner and Diarra Williams had 12 points apiece in the win over Normandy, and figure to be key players for University City all season long.
Other players on the Lions varsity this year include seniors Ashley Andrews, Karly Beuford, Brennan Jones, Dominique Union and Raven Williams; juniors Najh Wilson, Ashley Moore, and Sammiyah Clay; and sophomore Simone Clerk.
“I think we found a group that’s finally coming together as a unit,” Thompkins said.
This week, University City will play in the Nerinx Hall Invitational at Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves.
The Lions are scheduled to play Parkway West in a first-round game Monday night, with the tournament semifinals and finals scheduled for Wednesday and Friday nights, respectively.
University City will also play in the Cardinal Ritter Holiday Tournament later this month and the Lindbergh Tournament in late January, while also competing in the Suburban South Conference throughout the season.
The Lions don’t actually have a home game scheduled until Jan. 5, when they host McCluer South-Berkeley at 7 p.m. at the University City gym.
U. CITY LIONS GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
.
Date
Time
Type
Opponent
Boxscore
.
Wednesday Nov. 30
7 p.m.
N
vs. Normandy
W 45-28
.
Monday Dec. 5
TBA
T
vs. Parkway West at Nerinx Hall
.
Friday Dec. 16
7 p.m.
N
at Clayton
.
Wednesday Jan. 4
5:30 p.m.
N
at Hazelwood East
.
Thursday Jan. 5
5:30 p.m.
N
vs. McCluer South-Berkeley
.
Tuesday Jan. 10
7 p.m.
N
vs. Fox
.
Thursday Jan. 12
6 p.m.
N
vs. Beaumont
.
Wednesday Jan. 18
7 p.m.
L
vs. Parkway West
.
Friday Jan. 20
6:30 p.m.
L
vs. Webster Groves
.
Monday Jan. 30
5:30 p.m.
N
at Ritenour
.
Tuesday Jan. 31
5:30 p.m.
N
at Jennings
.
Friday Feb. 3
7 p.m.
L
at Rockwood Summit
.
Tuesday Feb. 7
6 p.m.
L
vs. Seckman
.
Friday Feb. 10
5:30 p.m.
L
vs. Parkway Central
.
Tuesday Feb. 14
7 p.m.
L
vs. Kirkwood
.
Wednesday Feb. 15
6:30 p.m.
N
at Ladue
.
Friday Feb. 17
7 p.m.
L
at Parkway North