By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Just as the season before, the Hillcrest Lady Hornets return only two varsity players for the 2020-2021 campaign.
“Our 2020 season was unique as we only had two returning varsity players, so we had to continue to rebuild the program and fill those open spots,” said Hillcrest head coach Meagan Nunn, who enters her third year at the helm. “I believe girls stepped up and took on those higher-level roles with tenacity and hard work.”
Key losses from last year’s squad include Grace Percival, who graduated, and Mariah Robinson, who moved out of the district.
“Grace was a great leader for us,” Nunn said. “She always did what was asked, worked hard, and never complained. We will miss her leadership and ability to hit those baseline jumpers in tight games.”
Robinson, who is a junior this year, averaged 17 points per game last season. Hillcrest, which finished 5-20 overall and 1-8 in the Ozark Conference, will need to find a way to make up for those points and experience.
Leading the way for the Lady Hornets are junior Jimm’esha Davis and senior Tiana Gourdin.
• Jimm’esha Davis, a 5-11 junior, averaged 13.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She was a Class 4 All-District 11 and All-OC honorable mention selection last year.
• Tiana Gourdin, a 5-6 senior, averaged 1.8 rpg and just under a point, assist and steal per game.
So, Hillcrest will need newcomers Faith Askin, Maddi Goodwin and Natalie Percival to contribute right away.
“We will be young and inexperienced,” Nunn said. “Other than my two returning varsity players, I do not have any upperclassmen.”
• Faith Askin, sophomore. “She goes hard, 100 percent of the time. Because of this, she is sometimes out of control, but will prove to be a spark for us this year.”
• Maddi Goodwin, sophomore. “She has all the tools to be successful. She just has to choose to let loose and show those to everyone else.”
• Natalie Percival, freshman. “She is the younger sister of Grace Percival, who graduated last year. She is over 6-feet tall, so a presence in the paint will help defensively. Time and experience will help her to be more of an offensive threat.”
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Nunn feels that her team’s strength will be on the defensive side, and that confidence on offense will be important in moving forward.
“I am hoping to build upon our defense,” Nunn said. “We want to find our identity with that and really work to hold teams to one of their lowest scoring games.
“Developing confidence within our players is a vital need in order to be successful. We need more than one or two players to consistently score. If the other players do not have confidence in their abilities, then they won’t take the open chances they have to shoot.”
The Lady Hornets hope to overcome the challenges ahead as they are scheduled to open the season at home against Carthage on Nov. 24. But, Nunn thinks that her team’s fight and competitiveness will surprise its opponents.
“We are young; therefore, we will have to work a little harder in practice to make up for the lack of experience and speed of the game,” Nunn said. “It will be challenging with a young group to find where those points from Mariah can be made up.
“Also, everyone now knows who Jimm’esha is and her ability to rebound and score. Therefore, we will have to be creative in finding ways to get her the ball and for her to score.”
