. The East Poinsett County Warriors finished 16-15 last season , but it was a late season surge that propelled them to a 2A-3 District Tournament Championship . The Warriors then won a game in the regional tournament and earned a trip to the state tournament where they fell in the quarterfinals . Coach JeMarcus Thaxton hopes that late season run and the fact that he returns four starters will give his team the confidence to make a deeper run this season . “ We return the majority of our starters from last season and add some young guys that gained a lot of experience during the postseason last year ,” Coach Thaxton said . “ This year we will continue to trust the process and get better every day . We will be much more disciplined and tougher this year .” A balanced starting lineup makes it hard on opposing defenses led by junior guard Tyrus Reel who averaged 17 points and five assists a game at the point guard spot . Senior guard Dennis Gaines goes from toting the rock on the football field to creating a tough one-two scoring punch with Reel . Gaines averaged 15 points and seven rebounds last season for EPC . Senior guard Omar McCuiston averaged 10 points and six rebounds and looks to get more involved this season . Senior Landon Nichols averaged six points and six rebounds for the Warriors , providing an inside scoring threat . Three sophomores , Jacob Gaines , Dee Buchanan , and Doug Reel , gained valuable experience during the postseason last year , and they are looking to make more of an impact this year . Gaines has good size , can finish around the rim , and is a good rebounder , while Buchanan is an excellent defender and great rebounder . Reel can help Nichols inside , is great at scoring around the rim , and has a great passing ability from the post . The 2A-3 conference will be loaded as always and provide challenges every single night , but East Poinsett County should be a tough matchup for anyone in the league . They proved last season that they can win the league and will be looking to get an earlier start to their run . NEA Sports predicts the EPC Warriors will be in the hunt for a conference title and , once again , be a major threat in the postseason .
The Lady Warriors are looking to use their depth to fight their way to the top in the 2A-3 conference . After ending the season 11-19 they are eager to get back on the floor and get the season started . The Lady Warriors will have four returning starters Keke Johnson , Kyla Harston , Kelis Garrett , and Jalyn Constant . Coach Harston expects the strength of this team to be their experience . They have a lot of playing time together as a unit and have a lot of experience under their belt . These returners will have others helping them fight the conference battle with teammates Zan Young , Riley Ashcraft , Kelly Ashcraft , Madison Thomas . This season , the Warriors have more players on the team than in past seasons which will help in practice and help with depth during a long season . It ' s a new and positive change . With more players , it can help in a few ways . With multiple experienced players , they can have flexibility for different game situations . Also , having more players can make the competition within the team stronger because everyone wants to play . “ We ' re looking forward to playing in a tough conference this year . It ' s exciting even though it will be hard . Playing in a strong conference will help us get better because we ' ll face good teams . We ' ll learn a lot and become tougher , and this will help us do well when it ' s time for important games . We ' re ready for the challenge and can ' t wait to show what we can do in our sports community .”
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