Quitman Lady Bulldogs
Conference: 4-2A East
Coach: LouAnn Sanders, been at Quitman for four years, career record of 61-42.
Assistant coaches: Clint Honnell
Last year’s record: 26-6 overall, 11-1 in conference, finished in first place in conference
Returning starters: Alexandra Bohannon, a 5-foot-7 senior guard; and Roseanna Ezell, a 5-11 junior forward. On these players, Sanders said, “Alex is a great leader on the floor. Where she may not score all the points, she defintely makes up for it in her leadership and defense. Roseanna is a forward, but can also handle the ball well. She is very smart on and off the floor, and she will help us in all aspects of the game. She averaged 12 points last year, while scoring over 20 a few games as well as a sophomore.”
Best inside players: Shayna Burklow, a 5-8 junior post player; Raven Ide, a 6-2 freshman forward and post player; Maddie Holland, a 5-7 sophomore post player; Bethnee Edwards, a 5-8 sophomore forward; and Ezell. Sanders said, “Shayna is a very strong player. She has a good shot and makes good decisions while on the court. Shayna works very hard and she also does a great job rebounding and defensively.” Continuing down the list of front-court performers, Sanders said, “Raven is a very physical player, with a good inside game. She will help us by rebounding and giving us a big presence inside. She has the ability to make a big impact for us this year. Maddie is a physically strong player that will help us in rebounding and bodying up with other teams. She works hard and does a good job rebounding. This is Bethnee's first year here at Quitman, she is quick and a smart player. She will help us rebounding as well as outside scoring and defensively. Roseanna will play all positions on the court, but she will make a huge impact scoring, rebounding and defensivly on the inside.”
Best outside players: Katelyn Houston, a 5-5 junior guard; Daphnee Patrom, a 5-5 freshman guard; and Bohannon. “Katelyn will run the point for us this year. She does a great job creating things for other players, but also can step up and score when needed. Her quickness and knowledge for the game will help us tremndously this year. Daphnee will help us in outside scoring this year, as well as on defense. She does a good job moving and screening to help open opportunities up. Alex has developed her shot over the summer and we look forward to her stepping up and scoring and leading us on the floor,” Sanders said.
How will you match, fall short or exceed success from last year? “We will take it game by game this year. We are in a new conference, so we hope to finish in the top and prepare for each opponent,” the coach said.
Strengths of team: Size, quickness
Weaknesses of team: Experience
Games to watch: Guy-Perkins, Mount Vernon-Enola, Bigelow, Conway St. Joseph and Conway Christian
Toughest opponent(s): On Bigelow, Sanders said, “They have the potential to be a state championship team andgood athletes.” About Conway St. Joseph and Conway Christian, she added, “Conway St Joseph has great tradition and great coaching. Conway Christian will have some young talent that should help them this year.”
College prospects: Ezell, Burklow, Houston and Ide
In a nutshell: “We look forward to a fun and exciting year,” Sanders said. “We hope to be competitive and try to make a run in postseason.”
Quitman Bulldogs
Conference: 4-2A East
Coach: Jeff Adams, fourth season at Quitman
Last year’s record: 4-23 overall record and sixth-place finish in conference
Returning starters: Five seniors return for Quitman’s starting lineup. They are 5-foot-10 point guard Chase Stewart, 6-2 forward Chase Freeman, 6-1 forward Hunter Martin, 6-2 guard Hunter Bridges and 5-9 guard Dakota Bohannon.
Best inside players: Martin, 6-1 sophomore forward Larry Pool, 6-2 sophomore forward Ty Davis and 6-2 sophomore forward Walker Johnson
Best outside players: Stewart, Bridges and Freeman
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? “I hope with senior leadership and with the addition of some key sophomores we will have depth at both the guard and post positions,” Adams said. “I believe that our struggles that we have endured the past two years have made us grow and come together as a team. With no seniors last year, we will be returning all of our starters and role players. I believe that our experience will help us fight through adversity. My expectations are that we far exceed the success that we had last year.”
Strengths of team: Depth and experience
Weaknesses of team: Need for production from sophomores
Games to watch: Conway St. Joseph
Toughest opponent: “St. Joseph is always fundamentally sound and tough to beat and well-coached. They are always one of the top teams in their conference, and I don’t anticipate any changes in that,” Adams said. “If we can compete and beat St. Joseph, this could boost our confidence and place in the conference.”
College prospects: None listed
In a nutshell: “I believe that this can be a very good year for us. I anticipate a lot of senior leadership on and off the court. This group always plays hard and never gives up. My expectations are that the hard work and experience will translate into wins for us this year. We would really like to play well in our conference season, and hopefully find a way to make it to the regional tournament and farther.”