Lady Bobcats have veteran squad
By Lawson Jones for the register-herald
Girls basketball has always been a big deal in Summers County because of the continued success of the Lady Bobcats through the years . This year will prove to be no different .
The Lady Bobcats have been in practice for a few weeks now and coach Chad Meador feels things are going well .
“ Practice is going great . We have a great group of 21 Lady Bobcats ,” Meador stated .
The majority of the 21 Lady Bobcats aren ’ t new . Most of the girls were on the team that went to the state tournament last season . Meador feels that will be beneficial .
“ I would say we have a veteran squad . We do have several freshmen , but nonetheless we have four seniors . Last year we only had one . We have a good mix ,” said Meador .
Meador commented on losing the skill set of last season ’ s lone senior , Maggie Stover .
“ Maggie Stover brought great leadership . She was an excellent post defender and a great rebounder ,” Meador stated .
Meador ’ s team is having to find ways to supplement her loss .
“ We ’ re having to do this collectively . We think with Gracie Harvey , Jessie Ward and Cheyenne
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Jenny Harnish / The Register-Herald
Summers County ’ s Abigayle Persinger ( 32 ) defends against Princeton ’ s Madison Stull Feb . 8 against Princeton in Hinton .
Smith we can at least make up for the rebound loss ,” Meador said .
Ashley Cooper , Jessie Ward , Liv Meador and Sullivan Pivont are all in their fourth year with the program . Meador commented on their leadership and the example they set for younger players .
“ Every year brings another element . Players get older and their roles change . This year we have four seniors . They have played a lot of minutes and been in different situations . We are counting on them to lead some of the younger ones , whether it ’ s the game on the road or the tournament game at home ,” Meador stated .
Gracie Harvey , a junior , returns as a big scorer for the Lady Bobcats . Harvey received second-team all-state honors last season and participated in various tournaments and showcases over the summer . Meador and Summers fans are eager to see what she can accomplish this year .
“ Grace led all our players last year in scoring . She got a lot of attention the back half of the season and she ’ s a load . She ’ s worked a lot this summer and is ready to take it to the next level .”
Kaylee Jones , also a junior , returns for the Lady Bobcats . Jones brings a lot of height to the court .
“ Kaylee is a 6-2 post player coming off the bench . She ’ s got a lot of reach and runs the floor well .”
Abby Persinger , Avery Lilly and Cheyenne Smith will also prove to play a substantial role this season . Meador feels they have grown since last season .
“ They have really grown as players ,” he said . “ Avery is another one that has taken her game to another level . She works hard , plays a lot of ball in the summer , does a lot of individual training and is always wanting to do great for her team . Abby , perhaps , is the most athletic girl we ’ ve had in our program since Hannah Taylor . She ’ s the fastest player on the team and does a lot of things that come natural to her . She ’ s starting to come into her own as a scorer . She will kind of have a dual role-playing inside and outside .
“ We ’ ll bring in Cheyenne Smith , who most people don ’ t know . She ’ s going to come off the bench and I look for her to grab ten rebounds a night . She ’ s a very smart player and does whatever she is asked to do .”
The Lady Bobcats opened their season on Dec . 6 at Shady Spring , a team that earned its first-ever victory over Summers last season .
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