2020-21 Hopkins Central senior guard Madison Grigg
New Hopkins County Central girls’ head coach Phillip Cotton is hoping his experienced group can challenge for the 7th District championship.
High school fans will remember Cotton as a prolific scorer in his high school days at Dawson Springs. He was twice named honorable mention all-state.
More recently, Cotton has served as coach at South Hopkins Middle School.
He takes over at Hopkins Central after Nancy Oldham stepped down following the 2019-20 campaign.
“We have a very experienced team with five seniors, so my hopes are high,” Cotton noted. “I hope we continue to improve each game and put ourselves in position for a district title. I also hope that we grow as a team throughout the season and give ourselves an opportunity to play postseason basketball.
“I think our team as a whole will surprise people,” he added. “We are playing a different style of game this year. One that people are not used to seeing these girls play. There will be an adjustment period for sure due to the lack of practice time and changes in staff. However, I am hopeful by what I am seeing in such a short time, it won’t take us long to find our groove.”
Hopkins Central went 9-18 last year without any seniors on the roster, so the Lady Storm could be poised to take a big step forward this season. The other three teams in the 7th District all suffered substantial losses from last year.
Senior guard Madison Grigg will lead this year’s squad after averaging 12.2 points a game last year. Grigg has almost 600 career points. She has twice been named to the All-7th District Team.
Junior Briana Fritz and sophomore Emile Jones each averaged 6.9 points a contest while senior Keri Reynolds scored 4.5 and junior Kire Peyton had 4.1. They will give the Lady Storm a solid backcourt group.
Also look for freshman guard McKenzie Lynch to work into that group.
Up front, sophomore Mercy Sutton provides the most size at 5-foot-9. She led the team in rebounding a year ago with 6.2 boards a game while also averaging 4.3 points.
Senior Keli Reynolds provides experience after scoring 4.3 points and grabbing 5.1 rebounds last year.
Senior Hallie Hollis averaged 4.1 points and 4.7 rebounds and is another player with a lot of experience.
Senior forward Keianna Caldwell is another 5-9 player that could help up front.
Most of the players mentioned not only saw quite a bit of action last season, but many of them started at one point or another.
Hopkins Central’s girls are scheduled to open the regular season on Monday, Jan. 4, at University Heights Academy.
The Lady Storm will then play their home opener the following night against Webster County as Cotton begins his first season in Mortons Gap.
“I have a superb new staff (Megan Williams, Bobby Humphries, Mitch Cotton and J.T. Riddle) that has helped with the transition and will continue to help me and this team be successful,” Cotton noted. “I inherited a great group of girls that love the game of basketball. I see their dedication to the team and to the sport day every day. I think it will be a great year for Lady Storm basketball and I am looking forward to the season and to see what we can accomplish together.”
