The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons knew they would face some tough competition Thursday night in the Helias Jamboree.
The Lady Falcons opened the preseason scrimmage with a 32-19 loss to the Jefferson City Lady Jays and finished the evening with a 33-22 loss to the Helias Lady Crusaders at the Helias Auxiliary Gym.
"We're disappointed in how we played, but by no means are we discouraged about where we are going," Blair Oaks coach Darren Heckman said.
The Lady Jays will be one of just a few teams - if any - to field a taller roster than the Lady Falcons. Jefferson City has four players listed at 6-foot or taller. Blair Oaks has five post players listed a 5-8 or taller.
"In the first quarter, we might have gotten four or five shots," Heckman said. "The rest of the game, we were much better. They are big. If we see a bigger team this year, that's going to be scary."
Blair Oaks got to the free-throw line often in both scrimmages, which were three six-minute periods. The Lady Falcons shot 9-of-11 from the line against the Lady Jays and were 13-of-24 against the Lady Crusaders, scoring just more than half their points from the charity stripe.
"In the first game we shot the ball really well from the line," Heckman said. "I think I made a mistake and mentioned it between games that we shot the ball better, because in the second game we didn't shoot as well from the line.
"But I did like that we were getting to the line."
Blair Oaks trailed 12-4 after one period against Jefferson City and 24-14 after two.
The next scrimmage was more of a back-and-forth battle. There were four ties and a lead change in the first six minutes against Helias, leading to a tie at 9. However, the Lady Crusaders pulled away with a 9-0 run midway through the second period and led 25-15 entering the third.
"They'll create some challenges for teams," Heckman said of Helias. "They can spread the floor and shoot it."
Makenna Kliethermes scored six points in each scrimmage for Blair Oaks, while Bailey Rissmiller had five points in each. Halie Rackers also added four points against Helias.
Heckman said 6-2 senior center Abby Girard did not dress for the Jamboree, but she will be available to play in next Tuesday's season opener at home against Helias.
Without Girard, the Lady Falcons still found a way to get many looks at several guard/forward combinations on the court.
"We're trying to see what we have and what we can build on," Heckman said. "We bring a lot (of players) back, but it's always different every year."