By Chad Plein
With three starters returning, the Chadwick Cardinals are hungry for another shot at winning a district title after falling in the championship round last year.
“This year’s team got a taste of winning our conference outright, conference tournament, and coming up just short in districts,” head coach Scott Payne said. “Losing that final game in the district championship stung but I feel will provide motivation going in to this year.”
To reach that title game, the Cardinals will have to do it without Stevi Jones who is now at College of the Ozarks. The four year starter was All-State last year, averaging 17 points per game.
Taking over the role is Paris Gilbert. The 5-foot-8 senior averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a junior.
“She knows the expectations of our program and what it takes to win,” Payne said. “As I have been telling her for years, this year she is really going to have to step up her scoring and offensive game. She has the ability to do so, but that hasn’t been her primary role in years past.”
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Paris was all-conference and all-district last year alongside her sister Paisley, who was a freshman. Now a sophomore, the 5-foot-9 Paisley is return as the Cardinals center after averaging 7 points and 7 rebounds last year.
“(Paisley) led our team in rebounding, blocks, and field goal percentage,” Payne said. “I look for her to continue improving, especially with her post moves and hitting the mid-range jump shot. I feel like she could be a consistent double-double type post for her career if she continues progressing like she has.”
Someone who missed out on the awards but has been a solid player for Chadwick is sophomore Abi Smith. As a freshman, he was good for 9 points per game.
“She had multiple games last year where she caught fire and lead our team in scoring, including a 21-point first half outburst that sealed the conference championship for us,” Payne said.
Expected to see more minutes for Chadwick this year are sophomores Cora Michael, Chloe Burkhart, and Olivia Maggard who all came off the bench last year for the Cardinals.
“This group that I have returning will be young once again with only one returning senior. The rest of our team will be freshmen and sophomores so we will have to hit the ground running and learn quickly.”
The freshmen Payne expects to make an immediate impact are Lexi Loveland (5-foot-6), Hope Cover (5-foot-10), and Sierra Jackson (5-foot-6). Payne said Lexi and Sierra were very successful on the junior high team last year and Hope will grow into being a solid varsity post player.
“We have a good mix of size and speed that I feel will make us versatile with our match-ups and give us an opportunity no matter who we play.”
Chadwick opens its year on Nov. 24 at Fair Grove.
