Lady Rams peaking at right time

The Lady Rams basketball team started 2012 CIAA conference play dominating with winning their first seven games.

Their wins in conference play included an impressive victory on the road against Elizabeth City State 60-56 on Jan. 14, and a blowout victory at home against Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, 94-44 on Jan. 16.

These wins are coming after the Lady Rams started their regular season schedule with a 5-5 record.

Head Coach Stephen Joyner Jr. said he believes that his team's struggles early on have helped prepare his players to play well in conference.  The team began the season with tough losses on the road against UNC-Asheville and Radford University.

Both are Division I schools.

"Playing against that Division I competition showed us the level that we need to be playing at to compete for a CIAA Championship," Joyner said.

"There were losses that at the time I don't think the team could understand why we had them on our schedule, but I think now with the level that we're playing at [the team] understands why we scheduled those games."

Joyner said that having more concentration in practice has also helped his team play much better.

"At the beginning of the year, we had a team that really just wanted to play basketball games and not practice," he said.

"I think that it was the leadership of Courtney Medley, Jasmine Newkirk and LaQuanda Williams who decided that they were going to bring a certain level of energy and intensity to practice."

All three players Medley, Newkirk and Williams are upperclassmen and are three of the top four scorers.

Newkirk, a junior from Raleigh, said that she focuses on leading the team by bringing constant effort daily.

"I just try to stay consistent and work to make each of my teammates better every day," Newkirk said.

Players believe coming together more as teammates has been very beneficial.

"There's more chemistry now so everybody's talent is really starting to show," said Schatavia Gray, a junior guard averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds.

"The team has finally started to come together."

As the Lady Rams continue their season, they are confident that in the postseason they can compete for both the CIAA and National Championship.

Newkirk said that although the team's approach is taking games one-step at a time, they truly believe that they can achieve their team championship goals.

"We're definitely trying to accomplish the CIAA Championship and also Regionals," Newkirk said.

"And then after Regionals we can talk about a National Championship."

While the players feel a responsibility to win a championship, Joyner said that the ultimate responsibility falls on him and his coaching staff.

"We've always said as coaches, if we don't win it, then it's on us."