However, should the Lady Tornadoes come away with the victory, head coach Romeo Lagmay will break the school record for career wins.
Larry McNeil, who coached TC for six seasons, was the sole owner of the record with 63 until Lagmay tied it Monday following a 76-49 win over Edward Waters.
“It’ not a distraction, but it’s something I’m aware of,” said Lagmay, who is halfway through his fourth season in Talladega. “I’m glad its happening. I thanked the president for the opportunity when I tied the 63 wins. It’s a personal accomplishment, but I’d rather have team accomplishments like a championship.”
He said he’s done his best to keep his team from knowing about the record in hopes of keeping the players focused — and he’s not taking 0-13 Morris lightly.
“Last year we split with them,” he said. “They’re having a bad year, but they look like they could have won some games. We don’t want to be the first team they beat. We want to avoid that, so we’re lucky we’re playing them at home.”
The Lady Tornadoes have played well in two games since the holiday break. TC began conference play by defeating Fisk by 34 points on Saturday before Monday’s 27-point drubbing of Edward Waters.
“(Against Fisk), we had a short halftime lead, but we shouldn’t have played to their level,” Lagmay said. “I gave them a fired up talk at halftime and we were in great shape. The guards took over Edward Waters. The post play isn’t there like it should be. Once we get them on board we’ll be more confident. We’re still blowing teams out, but we could be more deadly.”
Megan Iloff has been the offensive threat since the break, scoring 31 points against Fish and 27 against Edward Waters. TC has also seen strong play from Ebony Richardson, Shakila Cole and Lynice Schallberger.
“They were ready to get out there and play,” Lagmay said. “They were bored of playing each other and wanted to put their practice skills to the test. It’s a whole new mindset when you’re playing conference games. This is where the season ends or continues.”
TC now stands at 8-4, 2-0 to lead the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. And as it’s been since the beginning of the year, only seven Lady Tornadoes are eligible to dress out as several players continue to have eligibility issues.
“Two (ineligible) players are promising out of the three,” Lagmay said. “From what I hear, two may be suited up for Thursday but I’m not counting on it. I have to let the girls know they have to be patient.”
Whoever takes the court tonight against Morris, Lagamay said they all have the same mentality.
“We don’t want to lose anymore,” he said. “We’re at the point where we’re striving not to lose again. We’re taking no team lightly. Every game is worthy to us.”
Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
Contact Wesley Sinor at wsinor@dailyhome.com.
