FeedsLady Vikings ready to conquer, again
Lady Vikings coach Peggy Carr made her first year of coaching at Inkster look easy.
She and her squad went 22-3 last year—and one game away from making it to the state championship finale. However, this is a new season, like it is for every other team in every other league in Michigan.
Carr lost a very productive and intricate part of the Inkster basketball machine when Michelle Carr (no relation to the coach) graduated in June and earned a scholarship to play ball at University of Indiana. She was a leader on and off the field for the team.
“We’re definitely going to miss Michelle,” Peggy Carr said. “Her presence on the floor, her ability to block shots and run the floor and her size, we’re going to miss that.”
Michelle Carr was the connective cog of the team last season, but that doesn’t mean things will fall apart this year. Peggy Carr said it might not be easy but, with some changes and some hard work, the Lady Vikes will be fine.
“We have to be quicker and we’re going to have to push the ball a little more and we’re going block out a lot better,” she said. “Our defense is going to have to be excellent. Last year I thought our defense was average. This year it’s going to have to be top notch, definitely.”
Carr also lost would-be senior and starter Charmane Blessett because of undisclosed reasons.
Carr has five experienced starters returning to the team. She’ll have senior guard Lonnie Terrell, senior forwards Brittany Scales and Nadia Pack, junior guard Victoria McGowan and junior forward/center Tiffany Carr—Michelle Carr’s little sister.
With the departure of Michelle Carr the returning players will have a heavier load to carry.
“Expectations are definitely higher this year,” Coach Carr said. “A lot of people are going to have to put more weight on their shoulders because Michelle’s not here.
“Terrell will have to have some big games for us like she did last year,” she added. “Scales will have to step up a lot and I think she will. She’s been working out a lot this summer. She’s probably the best athlete we have on the team and she’s probably in the best shape of anybody here.
“Victoria is going to be key at the point. She’s a lot more confident this year. I think the mistakes that she made last year she won’t make this year.”
Carr and her Vikings will have to go head-to-head with top talent in the Mega Red before they can concentrate on districts and beyond. They’ll have to see Belleville, Romulus, Monroe and Southgate Anderson two times each this season. Southgate defeated Inkster, 48-45, in the final game of the season and the Lady Vikings only beat Monroe by one point the game before that.
“I think the Mega Red league is going to be tough this year,” Carr said. “With our league everybody is going to be looking to beat us this year and we’re going to have to step up to the plate. Last year they were complaining in our league that we didn’t have a lot of big games and this year we do and we’re going to have to be ready to play.”
To top it off Inkster will also play in the Roundball Classic at Detroit Community.
“As long as the team keeps its confidence we’ll do good,” Scales said. “Coach says the other players look up to me so if I stay positive and motivated I hope they will, too.”
Anything can happen in any sport at any level at any time and some Lady Vikes are just ready to set the dial to “Conquer” and return to the mighty stature of last year.
“I’m excited about this year,” Terrell said. “I’ve been waiting for it since last year ended because we lost in the semi finals and I would like to come back and win.”
