Dugas optimistic despite losses

With the first half of the basketball season coming to a close, newly-named Poplar Bluff High girls basketball coach Soley Dugas is staying positive as the Lady Mules gear up for the season’s second leg.

During the summer, Dugas was given her new role after serving as the assistant for the previous year. With deep roots connected to the Lady Mules, Dugas entered the season with high motivation to establish a solid foundation and get better.

Though the journey as a first-time head coach hasn’t gone as smoothly as she would’ve liked, Dugas remains in good spirits and will use the Christmas break as an opportunity to correct any mistakes with her inexperienced roster.

“Overall, we’re struggling, and it’s from top to bottom just seeing and understanding certain things about the game as a whole,” Dugas said. “I understand that it just comes from having the experience, and when you have a team who hasn’t played against high-level teams, it shows immediately the things we must work on.

“I tell them a lot that the only way we can gain that experience is to play through it.”

Dugas said the more games they’ve played, the better the Lady Mules have gotten. She’s noticed their focus on competing no matter the outcome and has given great effort during each practice.

Despite the Lady Mules holding a 2-8 record, Dugas is happy and excited to be their coach. She said while winning is a top priority, it isn’t everything. Her main goal is to teach the girls how to become young women who have confidence and can learn how to handle hard things when faced with adversity.

As the Lady Mules gear up for the second half of the season, Dugas said their goal is to figure out the best way to get over the hump. Everything is still a work in progress, but she couldn’t be prouder about how the team competes.

“It’s still early for us, so I try not to get caught up in the record,” Dugas said. “When you’re going through a tough season and have to fight every day but still come up short, you must stay positive and keep working until things start to turn. I will continue to do what I do to help us grow. I feel like my job is to mentor and lead this team in the right direction, so I will focus on that regardless.”