On Jan.18, the Vista Ridge girlsí basketball team looked like they would have a nice win over Falcon; but, with 17 seconds left, the Lady Falcons tied the game and then defeated the Lady Wolves in overtime, 64-51.ìFree-throw shooting cost us again,î said Vista Ridge first-year coach, Amelia Tillman. ìWe shot just 8 of 21 from the free-throw line during regulation. We were winning with 17 seconds to go. We got a nice compliment from the Falcon coach (Rick Susak), which meant a lot to us.ìWe have lost three games due to our free-throw shooting. We were 9 of 25 from the line against Cheyenne Mountain and lost by just 3 points. We should really be 3-1 in conference play, but we have beaten ourselves with turnovers and missed free throws.îBut Tillman and her Wolves are not discouraged. ìOur team has not yet realized how good they are ñ they are still finding themselves,î Tillman said. ìWe are in a rebuilding stage, but people have to prepare to play us now. Our record does not display the whole truth about our team.îTillman said the team has had four different coaches over the past four years, and they are just now building confidence. ìMy heart goes out to our seniors,î she said. ìThey are amazing. I wish somehow I could buy them one more year.îThose four amazing seniors are providing great leadership, beginning with Jessiah Waddes. ìJessPsycho,î as she is affectionately and accurately called by her teammates, provides ìthe heart, the energy and the momentum,î Tillman said. ìShe absolutely loves to play defense, which is a quality that is very hard to find in high school players. I didnít become a defensive player until college.îFelicia Jacquez, known as ìSmileyî to her teammates because she always has a smile on her face, is an ìawesome passer,î Tillman said. ìThe team better be ready for her no-look passes. She is bringing our offense up to a more advanced level. We are just now starting to connect on passes.îMonique MacFarlane is the teamís tallest post player. Tillman said MacFarlane had not played basketball since the sixth grade, but ìshe puts in extra time and works very hard … showing amazing growth.”Tierra White provides what Tillman describes as ìquick fire.î She said White has no fear when it comes to ìattacking the basket.î Tillman called White a scoring threat inside and outside, with a nice jump shot. ìShe has a calm demeanor, and is very professional and supportive of her teammates,î Tillman said. ìShe is a leader and an academic standout.îJunior Ashlee Rogers has ìfought through a lot of adversity to make her presence known on the court,î Tillman said.K.K. Mack is only a sophomore but she leads the team in scoring. ìSome teams have tried to stop her with a ëbox and oneí defense,î Tillman said. ìShe is learning now to be more than just a 3-point shooter. She still makes young mistakes, but she is a very exciting player. She is very respectful and academic.îTillman is excited about two of her impressive, up and coming freshmen. Alicea Guevara is ìan amazing asset, a rebounding machine,î Tillman said. ìShe has worked herself into a starting position with her tenacity and desire. She still makes some youthful mistakes, but is quite a threat.î Kelsie Onexayvieng is the other freshman ìspark.î ìShe is a guard in the developmental stage who has never been pushed this hard before,î Tillman said. ìBut she is responding to it very well. She hit the game winning 3-point shot against Woodland Park.ìThis team has a lot of strengths ñ rebounding, steals, defense; and this is a very unselfish team.î The Lady Wolves are averaging 17 rebounds a game and more than five steals. ìThis has to be very much a team effort. Once they have shown me what they can do, I never accept less.îTillman said she is proud of her team off the court as well.The team has adopted the athletic departmentís program, ìChange the MINDSET in the Vista Ridge Culture.î The MINDSET acronym stands for mental toughness; indivisible; not about me; discipline; servant-hood; excellence; and thankfulness.The program was initiated to encourage high school athletes to adhere to the MINDSET principles and be instrumental in developing that type of culture at Vista Ridge.ìEach player can challenge for a (wrist) band when they are ready,î Tillman said. ìNo pressure. When they decide, they tell a coach they are ëready to challenge.í They make a commitment to ëput 2 feet in and help change the culture.í So far we have six girls who have received their bands. I am very proud of them for their commitment.îTillman played college basketball in Tampa, Fla., for Hillsborough College and then played in the Lady Generals Air Force military league while she was stationed in Germany. Her team won the championship over all the other branches in 2010. She has coached AAU teams in both Germany and Florida before being relocated to Peterson AFB. She avidly wanted to coach again when she arrived in Falcon; so much so that she sat in the parking lot at Vista Ridge High School for three days until she could talk to someone. ìCoaching basketball has always been a great outlet for me ñ to give something back. It brings me great joy and fulfillment. I just had to find a basketball family … and I have found it here at Vista Ridge.î
