The Caldwell County Lady Tigers would like to be party crashers this season.
The 7th District championship game has been a Hopkins County Central and Madisonville-North Hopkins party each of the past five seasons — the Lady Storm claiming three titles and the Lady Maroons two.
Caldwell last played in the district final in 2020 and last won the district championship in 2018.
“You know, we want to get back in the regional tournament. We want to have a chance to win the All A tournament. We want to compete every time out. Those are our goals,” noted Lady Tiger head coach Malissa Thomas, who is in her second season in her second go-around as Caldwell coach. Thomas was also head coach from 2010-19.
“But ultimately, our goal is just to get better every time we step out on the court and peak at the end of February. So if we do that, I think we’ll be all right.”
To get back to those lofty postseason heights in the 2025-26 season, the Lady Tigers will need improvements across the board from last year’s 10-16 squad.
Caldwell looks to be better this season, but will it be enough to challenge Hopkins Central and Madisonville?
“We’ve got two seniors, Grace Watson and Ke’Darriah Thompson, who’ve got to be leaders for us,” noted Thomas. “I expect big things out of those two. They’re going to be playing a different role for us this year. And I think so far, they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Now, they’re both injured right now, and struggling with some health issues. But when we get them back on the floor, it’s going to mean something. So hopefully they’ll be ready to go by the first of next week”
Thompson averaged 6.8 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds a game last season.
Juniors Tink Clark and Med Thomas also bring lots of experience to the backcourt. Both players have been significant contributors each of the past three years.
“They’ve been playing varsity since seventh grade,” said the head coach. “So it’s time for them now that they’re upperclassmen. To really take charge. They’re both capable of doing some big things on the court. And my expectation for them is that they do that. They step up and take over games. Because they’re capable of doing that.”
Clark nears a scoring milestone, entering the season with 941 points after averaging a team-high 13.4 points a contest a year ago.
Thomas, the head coach’s daughter, averaged 5.5 points last year, but scored over 8 points a game each of the previous two seasons. She has the potential to be a double-digit scorer.
“We also have sophomore A.J., Audrey McCoy, who played big minutes for us last year and who’s had a great summer,” said Thomas. “I expect her to come in and fight for a starting position this year. At times, she’s our best player. Her energy is great. She can do a lot of things on both ends of the court. She’s going to be a special player for us before it’s over with.
“And then we also have a couple kids, sophomores Bella Hawkins and Paisley Hooks, who have both seen just a little bit of varsity time, but they’re going to have to play this year. And so my expectation for them is to come in and play their roles, but also make a difference.”
Depth could be a bit of an issue this season.
“You know, we only have nine high school players on the team,” said Thomas. “We’ve got Brilee Hubbard, who’s joined us really from the volleyball team. So she’s a really good athlete. She’s going to take her some time to learn the game.
“We’re going to be relaying on some eighth graders this year,” said Thomas. “We’ve got Gia Whittaker and Khloe Hall that will play some varsity minutes for us. So it’s going to be interesting to see what we’re capable of.”
Again, the Lady Tigers will have to see improvements in virtually every facet to put together a winning season and chase championships.
“Well, we’ve got to take care of the ball and we’ve got to be able to score,” said Thomas. “I say that, but you know, after watching our scrimmage, we had to defend better. We did not play very good defense at all in our scrimmages. So we’ve really focused on that because quality of play in our region is really good right now. And we have to be able to defend. They say, you know, you’ve heard it, defense with championships and it does. But we also have to be able to put the ball in the hole.”
In the 7th District, Hopkins Central looks like not only the favorite, but a contender for the 2nd Region title as well.
“Well, Hopkins County Central’s loaded. They are so good. And they’re extremely talented,” said Thomas. “They go six, seven, eight deep. They’re just really good. They’re seasoned. They’ve been playing together for a long time. I think they have to be the frontrunner. And everybody else is just kind of chasing them.”
Madisonville figures to be solid again while Dawson Springs returns five starters.
Caldwell is hoping it can work its way back into the mix.
The Lady Tigers are scheduled to tip off the new season Tuesday night at Crittenden County.
