Just before the mid-point of the 2017-18 basketball season, Garden City girls coach Matt Pfeifer took a moment to reflect on how his second-year team was performing.
Eight games into the 20-game regular-season schedule, the Buffaloes were 3-5, having lost their first three at the Canyon, Texas, Tournament of Champions and then returning home to win all three games of the December Clarion Inn/Roundball Classic.
But when the Buffs returned after the holiday break, it was back to the downside of the season, dropping Western Athletic Conference games to Great Bend, Liberal and Hays, one road and two home games.
“We continue to have trouble taking care of the ball, most of the turnovers being unforced,” Pfeifer said after the Liberal loss on Jan. 9. “I’m not sure they still understand the value of a possession.”
Since that brief break from the WAC schedule, the Buffs snapped their three-game losing streak with a 42-40 overtime win at home against Ulysses and will take a 4-6 record into the loaded field of the Newton Invitational.
No fewer than six of the eight schools are ranked in their respective classifications — one in 6A, three in 5A and two in 4A-I. The Buffs will open against Bishop Carroll at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the opening round. Carroll is ranked No. 5 in Class 5A.
Indeed, the Buffs were averaging a whopping 24 turnovers each game, limiting the number of offensive possessions in which they could potentially score.
And the scoring has been an issue as well, with senior Josie Calzonetti, the only returning starter from a year ago (6-16) averaging 15.5 points while the team scores at just 36.1 points per game.
Next best in the scoring department is 5-5 senior point guard Beth Guymon, who averages 6.9 points, and who seemingly is feast or famine with her outside shooting. When Guymon has had the hot hand, the Buffs have been successful.
Sprinkled among his lineup, Pfeifer uses a combination of returning letter winners, some seniors, and then has two freshman seeing considerable minutes — Keyhana Turner (4.8ppg/6.6rpg), who starts, and Julie Calzonetti (4.7ppg/4.8rpg).
“We’re still trying to find out how to play more together with such a difference between our seniors and the new freshmen,” Pfeifer said during the early portion of the schedule. “Getting the young players comfortable and that we want them to be aggressive shooting the ball. We need them to score if we are to be more successful.”
Seven other players have also seen action during the season, but collectively that group averages just 5.7 points per game.
The Buffs have struggled with their shooting percentage, hitting just 30 percent from the field and 62 percent at the free throw line.
Puffier, as he had said a year ago in his inaugural season with the Buffs, said the Newton TOC was an opportunity to play against some of the elite teams in Kansas and would help prepare the Buffs for the Class 6A sub-state in the postseason.