(This article first appeared in the December print edition of the Hendersonian.)
Excitement is building once again around the Henderson County Lady Colonels’ basketball team with a new season about to tip off. Coming off a 28-6 season, which ended in the quarterfinals of the state tournament last year, the Lady Colonels are poised to win their eighth straight region title and return to Rupp Arena once more.
With a mix of strong senior leadership and youthful talent, the Lady Cols hope to use a combination of inside and outside play to achieve their goals. Though they have high hopes, one major setback is the loss of senior Brooklyn Gibson to a leg injury which will likely keep her out for a significant part of the season.
Despite some early adversity, expectations remain high according to head coach Stephen Haile. His team will rely on strong leadership and a bit of a different style of play this year as they look to repeat the tradition of winning in Henderson County.
“We’ve got a really strong senior class bringing back lots of experience,” stated Haile. “We’re trying to do some different things offensively like get the ball inside a little more, but also know our guards can score with the best of them, too.”
Expected to lead the way for HCHS is senior guard A’Tylia Green, who has already established herself as one of the best players in the region. Last season, Green was the second-leading scorer behind Gibson averaging 12.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She also tied her own single season steals record with 130 on her way to being named to the State All-Tournament Team. The Kentucky State commit has high expectations and has positioned herself as one of the favorites to win region player of the year, while hopefully leading her team back to the state tournament.
“I expect us to win the region, hopefully go somewhere in state, and have a pretty good record…I expect to win region player of the year,” said Green. “We have more size this year and our bigs can move pretty good. We’ll play an up-pace defense and will score around the basket.”
The loss of Gibson, who recently signed to play at Asbury University, will present an enormous challenge for the Lady Cols. She has played varsity minutes since she was in eighth grade but an ACL injury this summer has kept her on the sidelines. The hope is that she will be able to play before season’s end but the timing of her return is uncertain at this time.
“There’s a ton of experience and leadership there,” Haile said of his injured star. “You’re going to miss rebounding, a slasher, a get-to-the-rim scorer, and one of our best shooters, and a good defensive player.”
Gibson added her thoughts on the team this year saying, “We’ve got a good group of young girls that can step up and fill the spots that we have lost. Hopefully, I can come back and start practicing soon.”
Another player who figures to help fill the void left by Gibson’s injury is senior Addy “Bear” Gish. Gish is a tenacious defender who leads by example on and off the court. She was an All-District player last season, averaging 6.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
“I’ll bring vision and confidence and can just hopefully bring the team together and keep them calm and humble on the court,” said Gish.
Other players expected to step up and fill roles this year will be junior Nyla Locher and a promising sophomore class including Jersey Gardner, Maggee Melvin, Callie Burnett, and Nevaeh Dixon, who was listed at 5’11” on last season’s official postseason roster. The key for Haile will be finding the right lineups and building team chemistry.
“We’re really just trying to get used to playing with each other, talking on defense, and knowing where these kids are going to be,” said Haile. “I’d say definitely we’ll be a better team in the second half of the season than the first half.”
The teams that are most on Coach Haile’s radar as contenders for the region are Lyon County, Crittenden County and Hopkins Central. Those three teams, he stated, are bringing back a lot of talent and experience from last season and will be tough outs when it comes to the postseason. Henderson defeated all three teams with an average margin of victory of 32 points during the Second Region tournament last year en route to the championship.
“When you’re Henderson County, you’ve always got to expect to compete for the regional championship,” said Coach Haile. The Lady Cols tip off the season at home against McCracken County at 7:30 p.m. December 5.
