“I think we are going to go really far this year,” senior Sophie Cole said. “We have really good freshmen. We have really good people coming back. I think we play really well together and we are all really close.”
The Lady Cats made the jump to Class 3A a year ago. They were able to win a district title and advance to the Region Semifinals, making a lot of headlines and learning a lot of lessons along the way.
“It’s definitely motivating because it’s different competition,” senior Reagan Frakes said. “Bigger girls and bigger hitters. Just trying to adjust and work past it this year.”
What is sparking the excitement in Lawrenceburg is the incoming group of freshmen. A good mix of talent and height that has the future and the present looking bright.
“We’ve got seven freshmen that we kept,” head coach Steve Keeton said. “They are above the norm when it comes to freshman players. I think they’re strong and they’ll add a lot of depth to our team.”
“These freshmen have helped us out a lot,” senior Arley Thomas said. “They’re very strong this year and we’re relying on them.”
The Lady Cats have another strong senior foundation with five that will be consistently in the lineup day in and day out. Now, it’s their turn to step up and take on the responsibility of showing the underclassmen the right way to do things.
“I want to leave a good example on the court,” senior Ellie Merriman said. “Show good sportsmanship the whole season. It’s really important to have that as a team.”
“I like being older and setting a good example for the girls and show them how you should be as an older player,” senior Alyssa Brewer added.
This group has won a district title in each of the last three seasons. Now, everyone across their league has taken notice, putting a target on their backs.
“We know now the teams that we’re coming up against,” Cole said. “I think we will adjust better because we know the teams we will have to play. We have more personnel.”
Across the state, expectations for the Lady Cats are underwhelming. However, this team has more than enough inspiration to prove the naysayers wrong and make another deep run.
“We have to maintain a good defense, but have an offense that can attack,” Merriman said. “I think we can get it done,” Merriman said.
“It would be exciting, especially since everybody said you’re going to be down this year but we’re going to try hard to not be down,” Keeton added. “We’re going to try hard to be on top again.”
