The Galveston County Daily News

LEAGUE CITY — With everyone returning from a team that finished runner-up in District 24-5A and won a playoff game, the Clear Springs girls basketball squad appears poised for a big season.

Springs coach Pamela Crawford said this year the Lady Chargers are setting their goals on bigger and better things.

“We have set our goals pretty high this year,” Crawford, last year’s Daily News girls coach of the year, said. “We want last year to be a starting point for us. The girls are more mature and understand what is going on, so we have high expectations.”

If the Lady Chargers can fulfill those expectations, though, they are going to have to do it without star point guard Mileka Loydrake. The junior tore a knee ligament during the summer and will miss the entire season.

As a sophomore, Loydrake led Springs with 11.9 points and 1.9 steals a game. She was also a first-team all-district and all-county selection.

Crawford admitted they will miss Loydrake, but said the injury won’t derail the team’s season.

“We are going to persevere,” Crawford said. “It’s a deep hole to fill, but I expect the entire team to step up and make up for her absence.”

Senior wing Valerie Oswald (9.7 points in ’09) and senior forward Morgan Kilgore (8.6 points) likely will pick up the scoring slack. Sophomore Aaliyah Brown also will see a lot of time at point guard.

Along with overcoming the injury to Loydrake, Springs also figures to have a target on its back. The role of favorite is one that Crawford said the team is ready for.

“We know that we shocked some people last year,” Crawford said. “We are no longer going to do the chasing this year. People are going to be chasing up. We’re not focused on that though.

“Our goal is to work hard and go 100 percent no matter who we are playing. Our entire team is motivated to have a good season, and I think we will accomplish that no matter what adversity is thrown our way.”