By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Cabool Lady Bulldogs won’t feel the sting of graduation losses this season and instead have the luxury of returning all of last year’s crew to improve on their 7-17 record.
“It is nice to have everyone back, that is for sure,” said Cabool head coach Rance Beller. “It really allows you to spend more time on more advanced offense and defense in those early practices because the basics are already known by everyone.”
Senior Katlynn Ellison is the main ball handler for the Lady Bulldogs and is offensively versatile. An all-conference and all-district selection, Ellison has improved upon her outside shooting consistency in the off-season despite already chalking up 18.8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals per game last year. Fellow senior Adrian Fleetwood will play multiple positions on both sides of the ball.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS
Junior Josie Atkins is the Lady Bulldogs’ inside presence on both ends of the floor. At 5’8” she can cause match-up problems with her ability to shoot; she added 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in 2018-19. Classmate Abbigail Huerman will contribute in a variety of positions and averaged 5.5 rebounds per game. Hailey Metheney is the team’s defensive spark, and the junior is skilled at pressuring the ball. Hailey Shannon, sophomore, received an all-conference honorable mention nod last season and averaged 15.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She will be a key to both the offense and defense.
Vanessa Kentner is a junior newcomer who brings athleticism to the table and could be a threat for the Lady Bulldogs. Sophomore Alexis Hunter (5’9”) will see minutes this year as an inside player.
“I am very excited for this group,” said Coach Beller. “We had a really good summer and I think we are going to compete with just about everyone on our schedule. We are going to play a lot of kids, so hopefully we can stay fresh and aggressive on both ends of the floor.”
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Greenville Nov. 22 to open their season.
