When the Helias Lady Crusaders tip off Dec. 28 in the State Farm Holiday Hoops Invitational, it will have been almost two weeks since they last played a game.
They're OK with that.
"We were so front-loaded in our schedule, this will be a chance for us to get our legs back," Helias coach Alan Lepper said. "This is a nice time to get a little break and use it at as a chance to rejuvenate ourselves."
Not that the Lady Crusaders will be taking a lot of time off.
"We will work on the some of the things we've had some problems with, get back to the fundamentals a little bit," Lepper said. "It's just part of growing as a team, you need to put in the work to improve."
Helias will open the Invitational at 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 28, against the Eureka Lady Wildcats at Rackers Fieldhouse. The Lady Crusaders will enter the Invitational under .500, but that might be a little deceptive.
"You take a few minutes away from a couple of games and that record might be switched in wins and losses," Lepper said. "I think we've played pretty even with the teams in most of our losses, it's just a period of time that we got away from what we were supposed to do and it cost us.
"I didn't think we'd have the record we have, but you just have to accept it and learn from it."
There have been some positives at the start of the season for the Lady Crusaders.
"The kids just won't quit," Lepper said. "This is not a team that's going to give up. We're going to continue to fight and as a coach, you have to love the fact that your team will continue to play hard until the final buzzer."
The Lady Crusaders plan to work on their free-throw shooting, scoring in the paint and tightening up on the defensive end during the break in the schedule.
"It's my job as a coach to figure out how to fix our problems and then fix them," Lepper said. "Sometimes we get caught looking at the big picture when it's the little things that you need to work on.
"This break will give us a chance to work on those things. It's a process and we know we don't have to be really, really good until the postseason."
Helias and Eureka met in last year's Invitational, with the Lady Wildcats claiming a 62-58 overtime victory in the fifth-place game.
"I'm sure (Eureka) is going to be ready to go, it's always a fun game for us," Lepper said.
Helias has dropped its opening game in the last two Invitationals, a streak it wants to end.
"You always want to go to the right side in the bracket with your first game and take it from there," Lepper said.
Lepper sees the Jefferson City Lady Jays as the favorite heading into the three-day event.
"They are so strong at a lot of positions," he said. "When they get healthy, they are going to be a difficult team to beat because it's hard to compete with the size they have and the talent in the backcourt they have."
But Lepper believes there are a handful of teams that could challenge for the title.
"It's going to come down to who's playing well that day," he said.
The Invitational provides a chance for teams to improve. And coaches.
"For me, it's fun to sit back and watch the other teams because it gives me a chance to maybe see something that will work for us down the road," Lepper said. "This is a great tournament, there's a lot of work put in by a lot of people and it is a great opportunity for the community to see a lot of different styles of basketball."
The semifinals in the winner's and loser's bracket will be played Dec. 29 at Rackers Fieldhouse before the trophy games move to Fleming Fieldhouse on Dec. 30.