The Lady Bears have proven themselves to be a capable and formidable Middle Georgia team this season. The girls have swept the Demonettes in every matchup, got a big road win at Coffee, and just a couple weeks ago squeezed out a huge 44-43 home win over the Northside Lady Eagles. They also defeated Lee Co 48-39 in their region opener back on December 17th. The Lady Bears are currently ranked #13 in 6A and are 14-6 overall, 3-2 in region play.
Undeniably, their star player and leading scorer is 5’11 junior #24, TJ Lawrence. Lawrence is averaging 12.8 points per game– the only Lady Bear in the double-digits. She’s a physical playmaker who consistently makes the 2-point shots, is good at drawing fouls, and knows how to execute a classic 3-point play. Her season-high in points came back on November 26, 2019, when she scored 23 points and had 14 rebounds against the Lady Raiders, a game which the Bears won 52-46. In addition to points, Lawrence is averaging 0.4 assists per game, 2.2 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks. She’s played in all but 2 games this season and is certainly a key reason for the Bear’s success.
Two other players of note on the team are 5’7 junior #22 Skylar Bailey and 5’6 junior #23 Kendra Roberts. Bailey has averaged 7.7 ppg this season, and Roberts is nearly on par with 7.2. Together with Lawrence, they make up the Lady Bears Big 3. Bailey has recently been nursing a knee injury and had to ride the bench in the Bears’ latest game against the Coffee Lady Trojans where the Bears lost 46-45. Hopefully, Bailey’s recovery will be swift as her absence is certain to affect the team’s performance.
The Lady Bears have only 4 matchups remaining in the regular season, 3 of which are region games that will all be on the road. The Bears’ greatest challenges are yet to come as they still have to face Northside (ranked #12 in 6A) and Valdosta (ranked #1 in 6A!). Both matchups will certainly test the Bears’ skill and fortitude as a team. Having said that, anything can happen in this sport. If HoCo comes ready to play, it’s certainly possible they could go 3-1– maybe even 4-0. Their next game against Northside will take place tomorrow (01/25/20) at 3:30 pm.