Soileau sparks Lady Bears' defense

[KFDM COOP]

Soileau sparks Lady Bears' defense

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

LITTLE CYPRESS — Varsity sophomores are usually a little timid for most of the season, sometimes able to give an offensive spark but are hardly ever a dominant figure on defense.

The Bear Cave at Little Cypress-Mauriceville has seen a huge departure from those two rules this season.

Lady Bears’ point guard Amber Soileau has definitely grown in her sophomore year.

Not in height or weight but in the way she carries herself on the court and the things she tries to do for her team.

Soileau will not just throw the ball up at the hoop or try to make the over-fancy pass.

Instead, for example, she grabbed 10 rebounds and yanked away two steals on Tuesday in the Lady Bears’ 47-46 upset win over the Beaumont Ozen Lady Panthers.

Soileau’s minutes and production have certainly picked up since the start of the season.

The sophomore once saw very limited minutes on the court compared to now being around almost none stop.

She first showed off her abilities in the Bridge City Lady Cardinals Classic over the Christmas holidays. Several other coaches and basketball gurus began to notice the talent LC-M Coach Amanda Ellerbee had at her disposal.

Soileau had 12 points and four rebounds in a game against Deweyville and then finished with four points, three rebounds, five steals and three assists against Beaumont Kelly in the tournament.

“At the first of the season I was very nervous when I was on the court,†Soileau said. “At about the midway point of the season, I started to feel a little more comfortable and now I am not nearly as nervous. I just thought at first I would throw the ball away or miss the shot.

“Coach always told me she would not put me on the court if she thought I could not do it.â€

Ellerbee of course has noticed the level of Soileau’s play but has been even more impressed the effect it has had on the Lady Bears’ team.

“As she has gotten better, the team has really responded around her,†Ellerbee said. “She is what I want out of my point guard. Ashley (Anderson) is my shooter and Amber is my point. I need her to do the hustle plays. As a sophomore, she has already stepped up and taken that role.â€

Soileau explained she does not even want to shoot the ball 20 times a game and lead the team in scoring. It actually is the least of her concerns. “My role is on defense and defense is what I love,†Soileau said. “I seem to do better on defense because it is almost easy for me to anticipate the pass. I like getting steals and playing defense in either press or man-to-man. We don’t run much man in games but that is fine because I love to put on pressure.â€

Soileau did not start playing basketball until her eighth-grade year at Mauriceville Junior High when a group of friends pressured her to do it.

“I actually hated it,†Soileau said. “I love the games now and really enjoy the adrenaline they bring. I never thought I would even be playing this sport, certainly did not think I would have success at it.â€

Ellerbee had her eye on Soileau as a freshman but kept her mainly on the ninth-grade team to keep the players there as a group.

“Amber is not a vocal leader but is one of those rare breeds that leads by example,†Ellerbee said. “Being as young as she is, that is very good sign. It will be fun to watch her mature because the best thing about her is, she is only a sophomore. When she gets to be a senior, it may be scary how good she is by then.

“I am excited about the whole group of sophomores we have. They sure do put a lot of pressure on the older players.â€

For now Soileau will continue to work on her first love on the defensive side and will soon look to do some scoring along the way.

“I am just not a scorer right now,†she explained. “I go for the defense and rebounds. Somebody has to do the dirty work.â€