Choctaw County girls basketball enjoyed a banner year last season, with a 23-11 record. The Lady Chargers won Region 4-3A and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
But gone from that team via graduation are three keys players, Brysa Maxwell, Lakyshia Mitchell and Laiana Cork, who provided more than 70 percent of the team’s scoring.
Also gone is coach Cory Guyton, who took the same position at Kosciusko. In his place, Choctaw County native Mandy Jewell was promoted from assistant coach. She is a former East Webster head coach.
“I’m excited about it,” she said. “Competing in 3A is going to be a challenge for me.”
Jewell will build her team around the talents of 6-2 junior center La’Genesis Johnson. She was second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and led in rebounds (9.2) and blocks (2.8), while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
The job of getting the ball to Johnson will fall mainly to junior point guard Ty’Liyah Alston. Others who will play a bigger role are junior Alaysia Weeks, sophomore Jabria Esters, junior Raquela Graham and seniors Destiny Harris and Amelia Pratt.
Esters is a six-footer who will compliment Johnson inside. “She’s going to help us down low, for sure,” Jewell said.
Jewell is counting on Harris and Pratt to provide leadership. Harris will be a key defender when she’s on the court.
A key for the team, Jewell said, will be ball handling. “Getting the ball down the court and being smart with it.”
Joining the Lady Chargers in Region 3 are Aberdeen, Hatley, Houston, Nettleton and South Pontotoc.
Jewell will return to East Webster for her team’s first game November 8.
Grace Christian opens basketball season
Grace Christian has begun this basketball season with less depth than it had last year on the boys team, along with and a very young girls team.
The boys were 17-5 last year, but lost five key players to graduation. “We’ll have a good starting five. After that it’s just according to how the others come along,” said coach Bobby Bowman. “Those others are mostly freshmen.
“We’re not going to have as much depth. Last year, my second five was just about as good as my first five.”
The Eagles will be led by senior Alex Taylor, a 6-2 senior point guard who led the team in scoring a year ago with an 18.6 average. Others in the starting line-up are senior Zach Boyles, a 5-11 forward, senior Jacob Hogue, 6-2 center, sophomore Asher Hogue (Jacob’s brother), 6-0 wing, and junior Micah Ballard, 6-0 wing.
The girls will be playing a full schedule for the first time under first-year coach Talor Troyer. “We have a young team,” she said. “We have a lot of new players and it’s the first time some of them have ever played. They are eager to learn.”
Tamia Brewer, a 5-4 point guard, is the only senior. “She’s a great ball handler,” Troyer said
Brewer will be joined in the starting lineup by 5-4 sophomore Belle Hudson, 5-5 junior Lia Morris, 6-0 junior Caroline Robbins and 5-8 junior Kiera Nash.
As the tallest player on the team, Robbins will play center. “She is crucial for us inside,” Troyer said.
Mia Brownlee, a 5-9 seventh grader, will see significant playing time. “I’ve been really impressed with how far she has come,” Troyer said.
“I think in the next few years we are going to have a really strong team. And this year, I think we are going to take a lot of people by surprise.”
The season began Tuesday with games against the Laurel Knighthawks, a home school team.
