With no seniors , Wildcats look to improve
By Steve Keenan the fayette tribune
Entering a second straight season with a roster bereft of any senior players , Meadow Bridge girls head coach Steve Taylor is taking a more positive approach to this season than last .
In 2021-22 , the Wildcats had a roster comprised solely of underclassmen and eventually won seven games before being bounced out of section tournament play by Greenbrier West to finish 7-12 .
That showing came on the heels of a difficult 2020-21 campaign coming out of Covid-19 which included five freshmen getting a majority of court time .
Those younger players are now growing up and , while there will still be no 12th-graders on the floor for Meadow Bridge this winter , Taylor isn ’ t panicking . Far from it .
“ We sill have no seniors ,” he said . “ But we ’ re a little more mature , I ’ m hoping .
“ We ’ re still a work in progress . We ’ re just trying to close the gap ( on better region foes such as Greenbrier West and Webster County ).
“ I love ( having ) those seniors ( when on the roster ), but we are a year older and more experienced .”
On the verge of the 2022-23 season , Taylor
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F . Brian Ferguson / The Register-Herald
Meadow Bridge ’ s Riley Roberts , center , looks to pass around Greenbrier West ’ s Brooke Nutter , left , and Maddie Fields during the Class A Region 3 , Section 2 tournament Feb . 22 in Oak Hill .
— in his 28th year at the helm — said his starting five will feature two juniors and three sophomores .
“ We hope our experience on the perimeter ( will be a big plus ),” said Taylor .
Junior point guard Charity Reichard , junior wing Sierra Simmons and versatile sophomore Kierston Rozell will provide the main nucleus on the perimeter . Rozell , who scored around 300 points during her freshman season , can play on the perimeter or move lower into the post , said Taylor .
Reichard is “ the coach on the floor ,” Taylor said . “ She directs the offense , and she has to score more herself .”
Of Rozell , he said , “ She ’ s expected to score for us . We need to get her going to the rim more for us .” He added , “ She ’ s got a bright future .”
Sophomore Riley Roberts will be asked to provide quality contributions on the wing , as well .
The interior play is expected to be anchored by sophomore Kaitlyn Cooper , who should get a starting nod , junior Abby Cooper and freshman Jordan Butcher .
“ We ’ ve got to be able to rebound ,” said Taylor , who enters the season needing seven wins to reach the 300-win coaching plateau . “ That is the spot we have to get better on .
“ They ’ re all going to see action .”
Junior wing Emma Hatcher is “ one of the most improved players ,” and freshman wing Lilly Hayes is “ slowly moving into the top rotation ,” said Taylor .
Freshmen Keira Hanshew and McKenzie Phillips should also contribute , according to the coach .
“ Strong perimeter play ” will be one of the Wildcats ’ calling cards , Taylor said , adding , “ We think our defense is always pretty good .”
On the negative side , he said , “ Our weakness is our rebounding ; that ’ s a concern . We ’ ve got some size and height ; we ( him and assistant coaches Charlie Redden and Seth Tabor ) have got to coach them up .
“ We have to get our share of rebounds .”
Taylor and his crew , as well as the other Meadow Bridge teams , are having to deal with gym construction in the preseason and early stages of the regular season that has left the main gym unavailable . As games approached , the squads were practicing in the old gym on the school campus and making changes in location of early season games as the construction continues on the Meadow Bridge Regional School . “ Thank goodness for the old gym ,” he said .
The teams all have had to adjust to shorter practice times since only one gym is available , Taylor said . At least two early girls high school games — Bath County on Dec . 1 and Covington on Dec . 5 — had to be played at nearby Rainelle Christian Academy . The uncertainty of when the big gym will be available again creates some anxiety , he admitted , but “ we ’ ve made do and all pulled together .” Follow on Twitter @ gb _ scribe
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