ABAC FILLIES’ BASKETBALL TEAM WINS SEASON OPENER

The Abraham Baldwin College Fillies opened the 2003-04 women’s basketball season with a 57 - 48 win against Brewton-Parker Tuesday night.

Julie Conner, the women’s basketball coach at ABAC, said she and her players are looking forward to the new season. The Fillies completed their 2002-03 season with the most wins in women’s basketball history. The team ended the season with a 21-7 overall record and a berth in the semifinal round of the state tournament. In 2002, the Fillies won the state championship and advanced to the first round of the national tournament.

“We have a very young team consisting of 12 freshmen and two sophomores,” Conner said. “I am very pleased with the hard work of the entire team, and I expect the freshmen to step up and learn as they gain more experience on the court. The sophomores will serve as strong leaders for the freshmen players and will influence and help guide them during the season. Since the team is so young, we need to improve with each game. My challenge is for the team to peak at the right moment and really gel as a team.”

Conner said some of the team’s key players include sophomores Latasha Gibson of Thomasville and Jennifer Harper of Nashville, and freshmen Meredith Mullis of Goodhope, Latoya White of Ocilla, and Kelly McMullen of Valdosta.

“I am thrilled to have so many players from South Georgia on the team this year,” Conner said. “Since I am a South Georgia native myself, I think this is great. I encourage the fans to come to the games and support some of these local players. It’s going to be a very exiting season, and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

The Fillies will play against Brewton-Parker at home on Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. For more information about the women’s basketball program, visit www.abac.edu/womenbasketball.

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