Basketball Feature: Hillsboro Lady Indians
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For three Hillsboro seniors, they have seen the rebuilding of a basketball program as they have played at both the JV and varsity levels during their time at HHS, and now it is their time to add their final chapter to the rebuilding of HHS girls basketball.
Though there haven't been a lot of wins on the court, the group of Alex Stratton, Taylor Moberly and Taylor Stanforth have had much success in other athletic fields or completely away from athletics.
But as the basketball season is set to begin, the focus for these three and their teammates is to win as many games as they can, improve on the court and just enjoy playing the game.
[[In-content Ad]]Getting to this point was a bit different for all three players, yes, they all played when they were younger during their elementary school years, but for Taylor Moberly (a three-year varsity player), her basketball life began just a few days after being born.
Taylor Moberly's father and coach J.R. Moberly told the story.
"This is the honest story, I picked Taylor and Catie (Taylor's mother) up from the hospital, and we stopped by the gym on the way to make sure everything was going OK," he said. "We had intramural programs at Webster at the time, so she actually stopped at the gym before she even went home for the first time."
Coach Moberly also talked about what it has been like coaching his daughter for what will be the third season at the varsity level.
"It's a challenge in a lot of ways," he said. "At the same time, it has been a joy. I try to treat her like a player, and she tries to treat me as a coach, and then, especially when we first started this, we would get in the car and go home and we wouldn't even talk about basketball for a little bit.
"I really enjoy the opportunity to watch her grow as a young lady and as a basketball player up close, but it has been challenging because we are a lot alike, and we butt heads. I'm always conscious about what you say and do and how it will be perceived by others. For the most part, everybody has been supportive."
As the season is set to begin in late November, the trio just wants to get on the court and enjoy their final season.
"I don't know what I'm looking forward to the most, but what I'm looking forward to the least is the end," Stratton said. "The most I'm looking forward to is I just want us to have a good year.
"Since fourth grade, I've played basketball with Taylor Moberly and Taylor Stanforth, we all started together, and it's inspiring because we started with so many people, and now it is down to us. It hits you how hard it was to still be here."
"We want to get better and have more wins than last year," Moberly said.
"I agree with Taylor," Stanforth said. "We all want to improve this season and have some fun, too."
Both Stanforth and Moberly are no strangers to winning in sports as both were members of the regional semifinalist soccer team this past fall, as they were a part of the team that went 17-2-1 overall with a sectional and district championship.
They hope to bring some of that momentum to the basketball court as other players from the soccer team are also on the basketball team.
"We have some of the same team members, and we just have to bring everything we have to every game," Stanforth said. "We'll have to bring that same winning attitude going here."
All three players have experience in either the JV, varsity or both levels of the program, and they know what they have to do to be successful this year. The trio spoke about what it is like being the oldest players on the team this season.
"It's crazy from going from the youngest to the oldest, being the people the rest of the team look up to," Moberly said.
"Being a senior, it's a lot different now than when I first started," Stratton said. "When you are a kid and first start, you don't know if you are going to go all the way, but to be here now in my final year, it is weird, in a way."
"Being a senior now it is a lot to handle," Stanforth said. "You have to make sure everyone is fitting in and making sure your last season is something you aren't going to regret and that this season is fun."
The improvement is showing for the Lady Indians this preseason in their practices.
"We work hard at practice, and we push ourselves," Moberly said.
"I love the physicality of the game, and we have been working hard to improve," Stratton said. "The best part of the game is just being around the team and the girls I get to play basketball with."
"Summer workouts and games always help, no matter the sport," Stanforth said. "We played summer leagues, lifted weights, scrimmaged, sometimes we would just shoot around."
On a more lighthearted note, the ladies spoke about their favorite moments while playing the game.
"In London, I was playing JV and I shot a layup and missed it, then one of my friends ran up behind me and slapped the ball, the ball hit me right in the face, and I fell down," Stanforth said.
For Moberly, she's been a varsity player since her sophomore year, and she said she's learned a lot from playing with past seniors, including a group from two years ago in A.J. Sanders, Jennifer Willey, Monique Burns, Brooke Shafer and Maggie Tamborski.
"They were like my older sisters and adopted me into the team," Moberly said. "They made me want to be a better player, and I try to treat our underclassmen like they treated me."
Though there haven't been a lot of wins on the court, the group of Alex Stratton, Taylor Moberly and Taylor Stanforth have had much success in other athletic fields or completely away from athletics.
But as the basketball season is set to begin, the focus for these three and their teammates is to win as many games as they can, improve on the court and just enjoy playing the game.
[[In-content Ad]]Getting to this point was a bit different for all three players, yes, they all played when they were younger during their elementary school years, but for Taylor Moberly (a three-year varsity player), her basketball life began just a few days after being born.
Taylor Moberly's father and coach J.R. Moberly told the story.
"This is the honest story, I picked Taylor and Catie (Taylor's mother) up from the hospital, and we stopped by the gym on the way to make sure everything was going OK," he said. "We had intramural programs at Webster at the time, so she actually stopped at the gym before she even went home for the first time."
Coach Moberly also talked about what it has been like coaching his daughter for what will be the third season at the varsity level.
"It's a challenge in a lot of ways," he said. "At the same time, it has been a joy. I try to treat her like a player, and she tries to treat me as a coach, and then, especially when we first started this, we would get in the car and go home and we wouldn't even talk about basketball for a little bit.
"I really enjoy the opportunity to watch her grow as a young lady and as a basketball player up close, but it has been challenging because we are a lot alike, and we butt heads. I'm always conscious about what you say and do and how it will be perceived by others. For the most part, everybody has been supportive."
As the season is set to begin in late November, the trio just wants to get on the court and enjoy their final season.
"I don't know what I'm looking forward to the most, but what I'm looking forward to the least is the end," Stratton said. "The most I'm looking forward to is I just want us to have a good year.
"Since fourth grade, I've played basketball with Taylor Moberly and Taylor Stanforth, we all started together, and it's inspiring because we started with so many people, and now it is down to us. It hits you how hard it was to still be here."
"We want to get better and have more wins than last year," Moberly said.
"I agree with Taylor," Stanforth said. "We all want to improve this season and have some fun, too."
Both Stanforth and Moberly are no strangers to winning in sports as both were members of the regional semifinalist soccer team this past fall, as they were a part of the team that went 17-2-1 overall with a sectional and district championship.
They hope to bring some of that momentum to the basketball court as other players from the soccer team are also on the basketball team.
"We have some of the same team members, and we just have to bring everything we have to every game," Stanforth said. "We'll have to bring that same winning attitude going here."
All three players have experience in either the JV, varsity or both levels of the program, and they know what they have to do to be successful this year. The trio spoke about what it is like being the oldest players on the team this season.
"It's crazy from going from the youngest to the oldest, being the people the rest of the team look up to," Moberly said.
"Being a senior, it's a lot different now than when I first started," Stratton said. "When you are a kid and first start, you don't know if you are going to go all the way, but to be here now in my final year, it is weird, in a way."
"Being a senior now it is a lot to handle," Stanforth said. "You have to make sure everyone is fitting in and making sure your last season is something you aren't going to regret and that this season is fun."
The improvement is showing for the Lady Indians this preseason in their practices.
"We work hard at practice, and we push ourselves," Moberly said.
"I love the physicality of the game, and we have been working hard to improve," Stratton said. "The best part of the game is just being around the team and the girls I get to play basketball with."
"Summer workouts and games always help, no matter the sport," Stanforth said. "We played summer leagues, lifted weights, scrimmaged, sometimes we would just shoot around."
On a more lighthearted note, the ladies spoke about their favorite moments while playing the game.
"In London, I was playing JV and I shot a layup and missed it, then one of my friends ran up behind me and slapped the ball, the ball hit me right in the face, and I fell down," Stanforth said.
For Moberly, she's been a varsity player since her sophomore year, and she said she's learned a lot from playing with past seniors, including a group from two years ago in A.J. Sanders, Jennifer Willey, Monique Burns, Brooke Shafer and Maggie Tamborski.
"They were like my older sisters and adopted me into the team," Moberly said. "They made me want to be a better player, and I try to treat our underclassmen like they treated me."