The Christian County Lady Colonels were one of the hottest teams in the 2nd Region in the early part of 2024. After the calendar page flipped to the second half of the 2023-2024 basketball season, the Lady Colonels won 13 of their final 15 games, reaching the regional semifinals before losing to eventual region champion Henderson County.
For several seasons, the Lady Colonels have been looked at as a talented ‘young’ team. This year, experience is plentiful on the Lady Colonels’ roster with five seniors and a junior entering her fifth year as a varsity starter.
With two of the top thirty players in the state returning, according to the state’s coaches, the Christian County Lady Colonels would seem to be well positioned to make a serious run at their first trip to the Girls’ Sweet 16 since they won three straight region titles 2002-2004.
Senior NeVaeh Day and junior Anaysia Bagwell are back for one more run together. The two have key players for Coach Kiki Radford since Day was an 8th grader and Bagwell was a 7th grader. Coaches across the state listed them both among the state’s best in the Courier-Journal’s preseason rankings. Bagwell averaged 19 points a game last year and Day just missed averaging a double-double for the season.
But don’t overlook the contributions of senior Lazarie Daniel, who averaged 11.4 points per contest last year and provides big-time energy when she is on the floor.
Senior Amari Northington knocked down 18 threes last season and can give the Lady Colonels another outside shooting threat when she gets rolling.
But make no mistake, this team will be driven by its defensive play. When the Lady Colonels ‘turn on the heat’ it can be a fearsome obstacle for an opponent to face, especially without strong play at the point.
Coach Radford points out that since starting practice “our commitment to improvement has been our biggest positive. We have made significant progress as a unit and continue to strive for excellence every day. With our goal of winning the regional title, everyone is dedicated to competing and getting better.” She adds that she thinks this team will be a fun team to watch on the court.
As will be the case for many teams across the area, staying healthy will be important for the Lady Colonels. Christian County has some young talent coming up, but that talent is untested at this point and may need some time to come along.
Player Under the Radar – In this case, for Christian County, make it ‘players.’ While Anaysia Bagwell, NeVaeh Day, and Lazarie Daniel are well-known for their ability to influence the game, both Daniya Bradley and Carliah Hobson could be players that help the Lady Colonels reach their goal of that trip to Rupp Arena. Bradley played in 28 games for Christian County last season, while Hobson saw action in 26.
Big Games – Just call it ‘Demanding December.’ December 12, the Lady Colonels go on the road to Henderson County. Two days later, they will take on last season’s state runner-up McCracken County. The following week, Christian County will play both of the teams from last year’s 4th Region championship game, Bowling Green and Todd County Central. All in just 8 days.
Outlook – The Lady Colonels look to be a big favorite to win the 8th District. And, if there is a team that can end Henderson County’s run of 2nd Region titles, it just may be the southern Lady Colonels. Using their defensive pressure, Christian County won the regular season meeting between the two last season and this could possibly be the year, if they make their free throws and some timely shots from the field, for a change at the top of the region hierarchy.
