PREVIEW – Lady Wildcats’ Season Predicated on Scoring

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(Photo by Ashlyn Brown)

With four starters returning and some young talent that cut their teeth on the floor at times last year, there is cautious optimism surrounding the Trigg County Lady Wildcat basketball program this year.

Trigg County was 9-17 last year but just 3-13 against region opposition. However, the Lady Wildcats played top seed Livingston Central tough in the district tournament before falling 31-26. The ability to score will be the key to Trigg’s season this year.

The lone starter Trigg will be looking to replace is Lauren Oliver, who topped 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her Lady Wildcat career. Freshman Marleigh Reynolds saw some playing time as Oliver’s back-up last year and will get the first shot at receiving her minutes this year.

The rest of Trigg County’s scoring threats are guards. Sophomore Adri Phillips (6.6 ppg., 6.5 reb.) has the potential for a breakout season for the Lady Wildcats. She was able to mix an outside game with the ability to slash to the basket to be Trigg’s second-leading scorer. Junior Rylee Bush battled through injuries to score 4.5 points and grab 6.2 rebounds a contest.

Senior Katelyn Slone averaged just under six points a game and knocked down 35 three-pointers. Senior Madison Simpson (1.3 ppg.) battled injuries most of last year but could provide Trigg with a sorely needed short-range game on offense.

Senior Logan Darnall, sophomore DeDe Barbee, and eighth grader Olivia Noffsinger saw time a guard last year, while junior Emily Noffsinger returns to the court after a season away. She averaged five points a game as a freshman.

Another player who missed most of last year, sophomore Kinizah Grubbs, is back from a knee injury and should help on the front line. She scored four points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the two games she played before her injury.

Senior Bethany Stallons moved to the point guard position last year and did a solid job of running the offense. Coach Cory Coble will be looking for his all-district guard to shoulder more of a scoring load yet run the offense to get others involved.

The two keys to Trigg County’s season both involve shooting. The Lady Wildcats hit just 31-percent from the field and 47-percent from the free throw line in averaging just 37 points a game. They were held to under 30 points ten times, losing all ten, and were just 1-4 in games decided by seven points or less.

Coble has more depth to work with this year and feels like they have the pieces in place to not only snap the longest district losing streak in school history, but also advance in the district tournament. However, it comes down to one thing – putting the ball in the basket consistently.

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