SEASON PREVIEW: Lady Orange look for a return to state in 2025-26

BEATRICE, Neb. - On the heels of a rare missed state tournament, Beatrice Lady Orange basketball is getting back into the swing of things for 2025-26 with a chip on their shoulder.

Jalen Weeks and company are ready for another year.

“The girls we got this year have done a really good job this year being coachable, playing hard and have done a really good job of letting us get on them a bit when we need to,” Weeks said. “It’s been really fun to get started and we’re ready to play a game.”

Beatrice missed the state tournament a year ago for the first time since 2021, posting an 11-10 record with the season ending in the district final.  In 2024, the Lady Orange made it to the semifinal in Kiley Hatcliff’s freshman season - something she hopes Beatrice can do again, and then some, this season.

“It was one of the best memories I have,” Hatcliff said. “It lights a fire under us to work hard every day in practice to get back there.”

Junior Callie Schwisow and Coach Weeks say Beatrice’s greatest strengths consist of their physicality and their competitiveness.

“We have a lot of people who can initiate contact and aren’t afraid to make something happen,” Schwisow said. “Yes, we’re a smaller team, but we’re physical and get after teams.”

“I think our competitiveness and ability to be great teammates and to really grind and win games, even by a point, I think that’s the big focus of these guys,” Weeks said. “They want to grind out and win some games regardless of the score.”

The Lady Orange visit Nebraska City at 6:00 p.m. Thursday to kick off the season.