By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2022 proved to be a bit of a rebuild for Forsyth.
The mostly young and inexperienced Panthers finished the season with a 12-13 record, falling to Rogersville in the Class 4 District 11 tournament.
“We were very young last year with first year varsity players and newcomers,” head coach Mandy Rogers said. “I thought we came up with some big wins at times and then struggled at times. We gained a lot of valuable experience last season but will have to show more consistent play to get to where we want to be this year.”
Fortunately for Forsyth, this year starts with a host of returning players.
With the Panthers only losing a pair of graduates Emma Barrickman and Landry Stuart, Rogers will have plenty of experience on the roster as she enters her ninth season at the helm.
Junior point guard Savannah Koen returns as the team leader in almost every statistical category, according to Rogers.
The 5-foot-9 Koen averaged 12.8 points, 8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.4 steals last season, earning both all-conference and all-district honors.
“Savannah has the ability to score in a variety of ways and recorded several double-doubles as a point guard,” Rogers said. “She is good, defensively, jumping passing lanes and able to match up and play several positions for us.”
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Senior Kenzie Calhoun, a 5-foot-9 guard/forward, averaged 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2 steals as a junior.
“Kenzie is good defensively, very quick, strong, and aggressive,” Rogers said. “She uses her athleticism to force the other team into turnovers; really improved offensively last year with scoring ability.”
Macy Sanders, a 5-foot-8 forward, rounds out the returning seniors for Forsyth. She averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds as a junior.
“Macy was new to our team last year and came on late with several big games in the second half of the season,” Rogers said. “She stepped up in big games with big plays. She continues to learn and adjust in our system, but is building up for a really good senior season.”
Junior Belle Barrickman provides the Panthers with a strong rebounding option. The 5-foot-8 forward averaged 6.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2.1 steals last season.
“Belle had a great sophomore season,” Rogers said. “She is very aggressive and strong on the glass, is good defensively and jumps passing lanes well. She continued to improve offensively, has good footwork and hands around the basket.”
5-foot-6 senior Emmy Blevins (1.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg), 5-foot-10 sophomore Zoe White (1 ppg, 1 rpg), 5-foot-11 junior Lindsey Essary (5.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and 5-foot-5 Hannah Tilley (1 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg) also return for the Panthers.
Rogers also expects a trio of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time this season in 5-foot-7 freshman Lauren Turner, 5-foot-10 junior Tatum Halbrook and 5-foot-7 sophomore Lili Roberts.
While Forsyth will feature a more experienced roster this season, Rogers knows that, alone, is no recipe for success.
“We will have to prove that we can be competitive night in and night out with and stay positive and willing to learn as we go,” Rogers said. “There will still be growing pains, but I think this group has a lot of potential to do good things. We will need a balanced attack with tough defense and need to improve on our rebounding and taking care of the ball.”
One thing that will definitely help foster the Panthers’ bid for success is the team’s staunch commitment to defense and forcing pace of play on its opponents.
“We rely heavily on our defense and like to play up tempo and push the ball in transition,” Rogers said. “We have the kids to do this, but we also need to show discipline in getting the best shots possible, decision making and taking care of the ball.”
Forsyth tips off its regular season Nov. 21 at home against Seymour.
