The Scottsdale Community College Women’s Basketball team has gotten the season off to a slow start.  The Lady Artichokes opened their regular season on Nov. 2 with a loss to heavily favored Midland College, but bounced back with two wins before falling into their current seven game losing streak going into the winter break.

Head Coach Bike Medder spoke to Northeast Valley News about why the team has stumbled early.

“We’re consistently beating ourselves,” Medder said.  “We’ve turned the ball over excessively and we’ve also been very poor at the free throw line.”

Medder also said a lack of depth at point guard has been a setback.

“We’re playing without a real point guard, Medder said.  “We lost a player that we were counting on and we didn’t get her back, so that hurt us.”

Medder added that freshman Scottie Thomas recently returned from an injury and has begun playing the position well.

With only three sophomores on the roster, Thomas thinks the team’s relative youth may initially be a problem as well.

“We’re a young team and we’re kinda just getting to this level of play.  So we just have to come together as one and learn how to play together,” Thomas said.

Despite their early issues, Medder has identified several players, including Thomas, who are beginning to play their positions well.  Among them are guard, Joyce Jordan who is the team’s leading scorer.  Kenyah Duran, who also plays Volleyball for SCC, leads the team in rebounding.  Medder also singled out post player Raja Davis.

“She’s our most aggressive player,” Medder said.  “She plays hard.”

Medder is also looking to build on some of the fundamentals he sees the team doing well.

“We’re a pretty solid rebounding team right now, Medder said.  “About 40 rebounds a game…so that’s good.”

“We’re shooting 47 percent from the field, from the 2 point line,” Medder said.  “If we’re in the 40’s in field goal percentage…that’s pretty good.”

Even with the slow start, Medder and Thomas are both optimistic about this team.

“You’re going to see improvement within us and as the season progresses we’re gonna win games and we’re gonna go far.”  Thomas said.

“We could be ugly early,” Medder said.  “But if we move up we can climb up the hilltop.  It’s a steep hill to climb, but we can do it.”

The lady Artichokes will resume their season on Dec. 28 when they face a nationally ranked DI powerhouse #15 Seward County Community College in their first game of the “Bill Culver Classic”.

All Artichoke home games are played in the main gym of the PE building in the Dr. Arthur W. DeCabooter Athletics Complex at the campus of Scottsdale Community College.

Visit www.gochokes.com for results and a schedule of upcoming games.