By Chris Parker
Pierce City girls basketball finished 13-14 in coach Chris Randolph’s first season last year. This year, the Eagles will look to climb back above .500 with four starters back.
“I believe that the biggest difference for us this year is experience and maturity,” Randolph said. “We were a very young team last year and it showed quite a bit. We were able to bring back four starters and six letter winners from last year’s group, and that extra year of growth should help us significantly this year.”
Two all-conference players in Leslie Jones (second-team) and Katie Tindell (honorable mention) return for Pierce City. Jones led the team in scoring at 10.8 ppg with Tindell just behind her at 10.2 ppg. They were right next to each other in rebounding as well with Jones pulling down 7.7 rebounds per game and Tindell grabbing 7.2 per game.
“I expect big things from both Leslie and Katie this year as seniors. They were our two leading scorers and rebounders from last year’s team, and I expect them to continue that into this season. More importantly, though, I expect them to step up and be leaders for the team in all aspects this year,” Randolph said. “Each of the girls has their own skillset that is an asset for us, but the most unique thing about them is that they allow me to have two six-foot post players on the floor at the same time. That can be a unique advantage most nights.”
Junior point guard Sydnee Prater will be a third leader for the team.
“In addition to the two seniors listed above, I expect Sydnee Prater to step into a significant leadership role,” Randolph said. “She plays with 100% energy and heart every single day. It’s easy to follow someone who plays that way, and I expect that to show through this season.”
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Prater averaged 8.2 points and 1.7 assists per game as a sophomore.
Sophomore guards Olivia Stanphil and Keishia Delgado have both shown great improvement in the off-season.
“As a team, I felt we had a great off-season. Nearly all of the girls showed up to all team activities over the summer and we grew a lot,” Randolph said. “The most significant improvement, however, was probably by Olivia Stanphil and Keishia Delgado. Both of these girls have put in work through the summer and fall to improve in ways to best help the team.”
Junior guard Chelsey Puckett returns after starting for the latter portion of last season.
“She (Puckett) has the ability to space the floor and has a knack for getting herself in good position both offensively and defensively,” Randolph said.
Maddie Tindell will look to step up to the varsity level in her sophomore year after seeing most her time on junior varsity last year.
“She (Tindell) made great strides throughout the season last year and was looked to as one of the primary offensive threats for the junior varsity at the end of last season,” Randolph said.
Pierce City will work on cutting down on turnovers this season.
“Our focus for the year is on ball security and getting good shots each trip down the floor,” Randolph said. “We had significant turnover issues last season, and it is something that we will have to work on each and every day.”
Pierce City opens the season Nov. 30 through Dec. 5 at the Crane Tournament.
“I’m really excited about the outlook for our team this season. We should all be a lot more comfortable this season with it being my second year now in the district and returning so much from last year’s team,” Randolph said. “The experience we gained last season as a team should hopefully help us cut down on some of our mistakes we made last season, and allow us to be competitive each and every night.”
