Team hits season’s half-way mark

I remember my first interview with Brittany Chambers like it was yesterday. I had never covered basketball before and all I knew at that point was on the preseason charts, K-State was ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 Conference.

Nine out of 10 teams did not impress me, but when Chambers gave her opinion of their ranking, my confidence in K-State women's basketball more than just sparked.

"I think we're used to it by now, I think we're always picked below what we do, and it's not something that we really let bother us," Chambers said on that October afternoon, the week before their first season game. "Obviously I would love to be respected more by the league, but if they're not going to, then we are going to prove it every year to them, which we have no problem doing."

I have always had a thing for underdog teams; I rooted for NASCAR's Terry Labonte back when Jeff Gordon was cool, and I am an avid Kansas City Royals fan, so when Chambers spat out that quote, I was excited to have the opportunity to follow this team.

As K-State has played every team in the Big 12 and has gone 6-3 — they have now finished exactly half of their conference season. Two of the three losses were home games, and the other was at challenging No. 1 Baylor. Their home losses to Oklahoma and Iowa State were almost identical as they gave up second-half leads in each game. These losses were unfortunate and disappointing, but it gives one no reason to believe they could not beat those teams. Had they beat both Oklahoma and Iowa State, K-State would be sitting by themselves at No. 2 in the Big 12. However, they currently share the No. 2 position with Oklahoma and defending national champions, Texas A&M.

The Wildcats are determined to gain back their home court respect after consecutive Bramlage Coliseum losses. While they open the second half of their season against Baylor, who has now won 22 consecutive games and has 6-foot-8-inch scoring machine, Brittney Griner, who knows what could happen when a talented K-State team catches fire?

After Baylor, K-State will hit the road and travel to College Station, Texas to take on the Texas A&M Aggies again. They won once; can they do it again on the road? So far K-State has a 4-1 record in away conference games.

With two tough games coming up for the Wildcats, it is going to take a lot of hard work to come away with wins.

But with players like Chambers, who has lived up to her preseason quote, proving doubters wrong as she leads the Wildcats in scoring and battles hard through every game, the Wildcats just might have it in them.

Each player has a distinct character on and off the court that has helped their team achieve success. After their last exciting win over Texas, head coach Deb Patterson believes their last win "truly was a team effort."

Senior forward Jalana Childs had a great game against Texas as she never gave up and continued to be successful on the offense. A good attitude and hard work are two areas in which Childs never lacks.

Junior guard Mariah White and senior forward Branshea Brown also have contributed to the teams' success as they impact defensively every game and know how to keep their cool in critical situations. Brown came away with a career-high six steals against Texas.

Also making a difference for K-State is senior guard Tasha Dickey. Dickey, a newcomer to K-State this season, has the attitude of a winner and brings athleticism and aggression to the court.

When it comes to freshmen, guard Ashia Woods proves the team's depth on the bench as she has shown to be more than just a sub. Off the court, Woods is confident, and with the defensive showing she gave in both the Oklahoma State and Texas road games, she has every right to be.

Now, as I look back at this season, that first Chambers interview always stands out to me. The Wildcats have proved they can win, now they just have to keep it up.

When I cover a game, regardless of what I write about the first half, the second half is what determines the headline. It will either turn out "Wildcats win" or "Wildcats lose" depending on how the team steps back on the court for the second half.

I look forward to seeing what the Wildcats bring to the court this second half of Big 12 Conference play.