The Goshen Lady Eagles are hungry and ready to improve entering the 2016-2017 basketball season.

The Eagles finished in the regional tournament a season ago and the second year head coach Fred Lowery and the Goshen Eagles are ready to go.

The Eagles don’t kick things off until December 1.

“We are a little bit behind due to the success of the football program,” Lowery said. “We will have a little more time to put in the playbook.  There is only so much you can do at practice. I would rather play then practice.”

Last season the Eagles advanced to the regional tournament.

“One thing that we learned is that hard work pays off,” Lowery said. “We put in a lot of work last year with a young team. We are going to be a young team again. We learned the importance of teamwork and hard work. We hope we can go deeper in the playoffs than we did last year.”

The Eagles hope they will continue to get production out of both Bre and Shamiya Griffin. Last season the Griffin sisters led the Eagles on both sides of the court.

“I lost three players to graduation,” Lowery said. “We have Bre and Shamiya coming back. Bre is going to be the engine that makes us go and I think that everyone knows that.  She is a sophomore and the leader.”

Last season Bre Griffin had the opportunity to score from anywhere on the court and this season Lowery and the coaching staff has noticed a growth in her basketball IQ.

“She has grown a lot,” Lowery said. “The area where she has grown the most is her basketball IQ. That is one of the biggest things. Mentally she is beginning to play like an older girl. She is 15 years old playing and taking over the basketball game.”

The Eagles are part of an area alignment that features newcomers Calhoun, Central Hayneville and a very familiar Luverne.

“We have always played Luverne,” Lowery said. “We have had some down to the wire games last year and I expect that to be the same. They are going to be tough.”

The Eagles will begin their season on December 1 against Highland Home.

“The girls are ready for the challenge and I am ready to turn them loose,” Lowery said. “I am wanting to see what they can do. We want to start fast and utilize the speed that we have.”