Senior guard filling leadership role for young Lady Dragons
This has been a transitional season for the Carroll girls basketball team. The Lady Dragons are young in the backcourt and are hoping that a very challenging non-district season will help them as they make another playoff push.
But this team needs senior leadership in many ways. That’s where senior guard Natalie Flexer’s presence is of the utmost importance. While not a scorer, Flexer has served as a bridge to help this team keep its focus.
Carroll (10-7, 2-0 in District 7-6A) played in the Mansfield Spring Creek Barbeque Invitational Tournament Monday-Wednesday. The Lady Dragons get back into district play next Tuesday at Coppell.
You have to look beyond the numbers for what Flexer (5-10) is providing (4.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG). Head coach Teri Morrison wants her to be an extension of Morrison’s voice on the floor.
“My coach wants me to make an impact where I see that I can,” Flexer said. “That’s going to change from game to game. It might be one game where I might be able to score, where there’s an opportunity to do that. I may have to dive for loose balls. I have to get try and get a lot of rebounds.
“By being an extension and helping the communication, it can help us to not get caught up in times where we don’t have to play fast. We just have to have that calming presence.”
There’s really not a lot of glory that comes with that job description. But every successful team needs a player like Flexer. The label used on those types of players is the “glue” of the team. They make the little plays that can turn a game and keep a team from losing its composure.
Actions behind the scenes speak louder than words. But that’s where Carroll is after suffering heavy losses from the 2014-2015 team that won the district championship and was a Region I area finalist.
With several leaders gone from that team, including point guard Kennedy Leonard, Morrison went to Flexer to serve in the role of a leadership presence. What Morrison liked in Flexer is her disciplined demeanor and ability to be a strong defender.
“Natalie has been the foundation for us this season,” Morrison said. “She leads by example. She puts in the extra hours, provides support and guidance for our younger players. The most important thing she does is bring consistent play to every game and every practice.”
Look no further than the 58-56 overtime win at Hurst L.D. Bell on Dec. 18. A double-digit lead in the second half disappeared. A young team had to overcome the atmosphere of a hostile gym.
“There were many times where we could have gotten frazzled,” Flexer said. “All we did was just try to make sure that was that the team stay calm. If we did that, then we would be fine. We just had to stay in the moment and push through to the win.
“It’s a mental grind because we lost so many people who had been involved with the program for so many years. But we just have to come together.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Senior guard filling leadership role for young Lady Dragons."