When the Chamois Lady Pirates take to the court today at Fleming Fieldhouse as part of the Capital City Shootout, they're going to feel right at home.
Not because of any similarities between the court at Jefferson City High School and their own, but because they've gotten accustomed to playing on the road this season.
After road games at Vienna, Wellsville and Belle, along with three games in the Tipton Tournament, the Lady Pirates finally hosted their first game of the season Thursday against New Bloomfield (a result was unavailable at press time). Being road warriors has made Chamois coach John Leach confident in his squad.
"We are playing pretty well right now," said Leach, whose team was 4-2 going into Thursday's game.
He was quick to add the size of the playing surface at Fleming Fieldhouse will be an interesting part of Saturday's 1 p.m. contest against Green Ridge.
"That's a college-size floor and if they press us, which I think they're going to, it's going to be bigger area they have to guard," Leach said. "We do struggle at times against the press, but being a bigger floor, they're going to have to cover a lot more area."
Chamois is giving up just 31 points per game this season, including an impressive 11 to Belle on Tuesday.
"I was a little disappointed we didn't shoot the ball very well, but our defense played well," Leach said.
Chamois and Prairie Home are both members of Class 1 District 9, and both have better-than-average size for schools in the state's smallest class. The Lady Panthers' point guard, Rachel Distler, is 5-foot-9 and they have two 5-10 forwards, a 6-foot forward and a 6-1 forward.
Making the task tougher for Chamois is the fact they'll play their third straight game without point guard Mikalah Brandt, who suffered a concussion Sunday in practice.
"That will hurt us defensively, and she was really coming on offensively," Leach said. "It's a shame she's not going to play."