The Lady Redskin basketball team appears to be on the rise. They are beating the odds by winning a string of summer games while playing with a majority of freshmen and only one senior.

Head Coach Mario Mincey said he couldn’t be happier with what has unfolded thus far this summer and seems sure that this team will pull the program out of the slump it experienced last year, which saw only one win.

Thus far this summer, the Lady Skins beat South Effingham, have gotten multiple wins over Portal and Southeast Bulloch, and dropped some close games to Statesboro. They wrap up their summer season next week.

The odds were certainly against the team as just about every star player from last year was dropped due to graduation – including Mitzi Cross, Tara Miles, Alexis Buster and Brittany Slater. On top of that, rising senior and talented basketball player Samantha Howard has only played in one game this summer due to softball commitments and a family vacation. That leaves Ashlei Jones as the lone senior - and she hasn’t played the game since the eighth grade.

"I would’ve never thought we’d do this well with such a young team," Mincey said. "Not only is it a great sign for this coming season, but it’s a great sign for the next several years of Lady Skin basketball."

Mincey said junior Ashley Simmons has dominated the low post while sophomore Whitney Fields has displayed some great defense while proving to be a team leader.

Mincey said freshman point guard Satashla Beasley has made an immediate impact upon her arrival to the team this summer. At just 14-years-old, she is averaging eight points per game.

"And Samantha Howard did a great job last season," Mincey said. "When you mix all of them together, we have reason to be excited about girls’ basketball. They’ve done a great job this summer. We have a faster defense this year which is more my tempo. There is still room for improvement, but we are headed in the right direction."