Freshman Kisner does a little of everything for No. 16 Lady Hornets
By Jesse Newell
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Though he hasn’t even told her yet, Emporia State coach Brandon Schneider says there’s a reason he likes freshman Bree Kisner so much.
“We get along because she’s a lot like me,” Schneider said. “We’re the kind of players that have swagger whether we deserve it or not.”
Lately, Kisner’s play might be deserving of at least a small strut.
Though not a huge scorer, Kisner helped the Lady Hornets in almost all the statistical categories in Saturday’s game against Pittsburg State.
In her 19 minutes, Kisner had seven points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and just one turnover.
“Bree does a lot of really good things for us,” Schneider said. “Her versatility, I think, has been a positive not only (Saturday), but all year long.”
Kisner, who plays both guard and forward for ESU, gave the Lady Hornets a spark right when they needed it.
With Ida Edwards struggling at the beginning of games in her starting role, Schneider made the switch to give Kisner a start on Saturday.
“We hadn’t played well in three games. We were really disappointed in how we’d been playing,” Schneider said. “Sometimes, you shake things up a little bit and give people a little different perspective.”
Though she was admittedly nervous, Kisner made her coach look awfully smart.
ESU grabbed a 14-6 lead before Kisner was subbed out of the game with 14:46 left in the first half.
“She believes in herself,” Schneider said. “Hopefully, I don’t take any of that from her.”
Kisner and the rest of the Lady Hornets might go against the best player they’ve seen all season on Wednesday, as Truman comes to town with team leader Georgia Mueller.
The 5-foot-11 forward is second in the MIAA in scoring (21.8 points per game) and second in rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game).
Though not always the most graceful of players, Mueller has been effective by becoming one of the most fundamentally sound players in the league.
Schneider compared her to the Boston Celtics’ Kevin McHale — a player the ESU coach said “never looked like much,” but a player that always seemed to help his team by making good decisions.
Truman leads the league in both steals (11.8 steals/game) and scoring margin (+16.4 points/game).
“They’re really good,” Schneider said. “I’ve watched their last three games, and they’re very good.”
Though the Bulldogs are led by their forward Mueller, they still have a tendency to throw up a high number of 3-pointers.
Truman has attempted 284 treys this year, an average of 21.8 per contest.
ESU men looking for consistency
The Emporia State Hornets perhaps thought they had everything fixed after breaking a three-game losing streak against Washburn in a 92-87 victory last Wednesday.
That mindset might have cost them a game on Saturday.
ESU came out flat against Pittsburg State, falling into a 17-point hole it never could climb out of in a 72-63 home loss Saturday.
“We lived in the past,” ESU coach David Moe said, “and it hurt us.”
The Hornets, who are tied for last in the MIAA, will get an improving Truman team on Wednesday.
After losing 10 of their first 11 games, the Bulldogs have won their last two: a road win at Fort Hays and a home victory against Missouri Western.
Truman also has the reigning MIAA player of the week Nick Certa.
The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 19.5 points in his team’s two wins last week.