Lady Cougars working hard

The Lady Cougars enjoyed their holiday break, and are now working hard in practice in preparation for their return to action later this week.

The senior A and B teams will take the court beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, as the Lady Cougars visit Dyer County. From there, the girls will host Paragould in junior and senior action beginning at 6 p.m. next Monday. Rector will host Marked Tree beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11 in an evening which will feature both boys and girls teams.

The Lady Cougars are out to a 3-2 start to the season. Rector posted a 41-39 win over Manila in the season opener on Nov. 7, but fell to Corning, 50-34, on Nov. 12. The girls topped Batesville-Southside, 45-36, in the Highland Classic on Nov. 14; fell to Armorel, 50-42, on Nov. 16 and topped Trumann last Monday, 46-40.

Coach Mark Manchester and his team have been putting in the hours on the court, as the team continues to prepare for the ever important conference schedule which heats up in January.

"We're still in the process of finding out just how good we are," Manchester said. "I think we've got what it takes to go out there and play with anybody. It's just a question of whether or not we can put it all together and go out there and win games."

The Junior Lady Cougars have had a strong start, beginning the season 3-1 overall. Rector fell to host Manila, 41-28, but bounced back to win three straight games.

"These junior high girls play hard," Manchester said. "They've really been coming together and working hard every day in practice."