Granger playing 32 minutes each game

GRANGER – There are two things Granger girls basketball coach Kendal Cotten expects from his team.

The first is to play each game for 32 minutes – fittingly, high school basketball games are played with four eight-minute quarters.

The second is to be ready for Dec. 16 – the District 27-2A opener at Holland.

While some might say looking ahead to district play goes against the mantra of taking things one game at a time, Cotten also thrives on looking at the “big picture.” Although Granger is 1-5 going into Tuesday’s nondistrict matchup at Burton, Cotten had a reason for drawing up a strong nondistrict schedule.

“I scheduled tough nondistrict games and I would challenge anyone else to play the schedule that I put together,” he said. “A lot of people asked me why I did this. I did this because of what happened last year against Weimar. We weren’t ready and that was on me. As a coach, I’ve got to get them ready. When we get to the playoffs, we’re going to be ready because our nondistrict schedule is going to make us ready.

We’re going to come out of this tougher and wiser. I will go strength of schedule against anyone in our district.”

A year ago, Granger won a district championship for the first time in 25 years. Cotten isn’t resting on the laurels of last year, though.

“I told the girls they have an ‘X’ marked on them now,” he said.

“Everyone’s gunning for them. They’re going to get everyone else’s best shot.”

The biggest concerns for Cotten are youth and numbers. The Lady Lions suit up nine players.

“We’re young. We had two players graduate who were three-year starters. We’re also ‘young’ in the aspect of familiarity with the basketball court,” Cotten said. “Everybody with the exception of my post are new starters. We are having growing pains, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you look at our past three years, we’re slow starters. Our girls come straight out of volleyball. We’re growing.”

Senior Abi Crouch is the lone returning starter, while fellow senior Victoria Castillo is the power forward, and juniors Navaeh Campos, Brooklyn Gaswint and Jasmine Leamer are guards. Rounding out the roster are senior Alexi Montagnino, junior Kennedy Gattis, and sophomores Natalie Corona and Rylinn Hamby. “Jasmine (our point guard) has gotten better every game,” Cotten said. “I told her, ‘you’re the quarterback, you have to lead.’ I threw her into the fire this year and we’re going to keep her in that fire.”

While youth and depth are concerns, there are team strengths for Granger, too. Cotten believes his strength and conditioning program and resiliency are things the Lady Lions can lean on.

“Granger girls are resilient. Every year, something has happened where someone has had to step up and put the team on their back,” Cotten said. “Our biggest strength is athleticism. Our girls play multiple sports. They bought into what we do.

I want the weight room and conditioning to be the difference makers.”

In order to repeat as district champions and to make a deep playoff run, Cotten said his team has to do a few things.

“We have to sweat and stay together,” he said. “I have Dec. 16 circled on my calendar.

The nondistrict games are glorified practices.

I tell my girls to look at the big picture. Our girls don’t quit and they’re not scoreboard watchers. The game isn’t over with us until we play 32 minutes.”

Cotten won’t shy away from those expectations.