The process continues for the Memorial Lady Titans, but coach Kevin Henry believes the pieces are starting to fall in place getting their first win of the season against Legacy Christian on Friday, 38-28.

“Legacy, we are very familiar with each other,” Henry said. “We play each other every year. The girls were focused and ready to get this last practice game under our belt before district starts. We wanted to go into district on a good note, so we went in with a plan to win. We needed to go in there and make sure we executed, make sure we communicated with each other.”

On Friday night the Lady Titans executed after the game stayed close in the first half. Then in the second the Lady Titans broke the Warriors’ zone defense while starting to knock down shots.

“Shooting wise from the perimeter, that was probably our best shooting night of the season,” Henry said. “We were able to hit a couple of threes and we were able to get a lead and force them to come out of the zone.”

The Titans carry the win with them into the start of district. Memorial traveled a short distance to play Nederland on Tuesday and will have a bye Friday, taking a long Christmas break before heading to the Barbers Hill tournament the following week.

Getting to the first win has required a good deal of learning, Henry says. The loss of seven seniors and four full-time starters leaves the Lady Titans struggling to find an identity for themselves. The Legacy Christian win was evidence that the struggle is paying off.

“This new group is trying to stake their claim, trying to find their role on this team with our group,” Henry said. “I think it’s going to be a process, and now I think we’re starting to see some of the benefits of that. The kids have known each other, but as far as playing and knowing what to expect from each other, they’ve improved on that and they’re doing a better job of communicating. The chemistry is getting a little better.”

There’s still more of the process to undergo, but Henry is hopeful the Titans will be a challenge for a set of district teams he says are fairly evenly matched this year.

The Titans need to take better care of the ball, force more turnovers, communicate and limit their opponents. More speed might get them a few more buckets in transition as well, Henry says.

“It’s going to be a long season with these 12 games in district, especially stretched out over the break,” Henry said. “At any time, anybody could win it. In order for us to be the winners, we’re going to have to do a good job and improve on what we’re building on right now.

“We’re trying to put people in there, set them up for success, put them in their sweet spots and give them their best opportunity to try to score,” Henry said. “We’re understanding what we’re trying to do on the defensive end now, so we’re starting to shape up. It looks like we know what we’re doing now.”