Coach returns to teach Lady Hawks once again

THOMPSON FALLS – Head Coach Courtney Burky is back from what she called a six-year hiatus to once again coach the Lady Hawks basketball team.

According to her, the team is young but fire-y. The team has four returning players from last year with one all state player in the mix.

Erica Sorlie, Angela Padden, Shey Hannum and all-state athlete Logan Beckman will once again play on the court this season. And according to Burky, she has high expectations of Beckman.

“I’m really hoping that Logan will continue to have her consistent plays that she has had all the way since she started high school,” Coach Burky said. “I think all by herself, she will have many stand out performances because that’s just the way she is.”

Coach Burky is convinced the team will see a lot of action down low and said her kids are becoming very comfortable shooting from the outside.

Beyond the returning girls, there are four newcomers. The team will be taking some athletes from their young squad - a squad Coach Burky said was pretty talented.

Even with a handful of strong players, there is still work to be done.

“I don’t think we’ll be clicking on all cylinders,” Coach Burky said. “But as the year goes on we’ll get better and better and better.”

So far the team has been taking advantage of practice to hone their defensive skills and further work on their shooting drills. The team has a lot of special plays they have been focusing on and are learning to set certain situations up.

Coach Burky returns to coaching basketball because she loves doing just that.

“I love the kids and I love our community. And I miss varsity basketball,” Coach Burky said. “I’m really excited. The kids have been working really hard and are eager to go to practice.

Looking at the competition lined out for her during the first tournament of the year, she expects Plains to be a strong force at this year’s Tip-Off Tournament.

The tournament will take place on both Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14.

“I think that Plains is a really talented team and I’m going to give them a lot of credit. They worked really hard and have done a lot of extra stuff,” Coach Burky said. “I feel they are probably the favorite in the tournament.”

Although she has some knowledge about the Trotters, she is unsure of how her team will stack up against both Noxon and Hot Springs because she does not know what the team’s makeup consists of.

However, she is confident that her girls have what it takes.

“I think we’ll hold our own,” Coach Burky said.

The team will go on to compete against Loyola at home on December 20th.