Freshmen must step up for Lady Champions

M.K. Potts is one of three seniors who must step up for the Lady Champions. (File Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Be prepared to see plenty of new faces on the hardwood this season when checking out the Cascade girls basketball team.

The Lady Champions are undergoing a youth movement of sorts.

Third-year coach Chad Spencer will count on nine freshmen to help fill out a roster hit hard by graduation.

"The positive thing about these young kids is that they played for me in middle school," Spencer said. "They're not as green as most freshmen. They kind of know what to expect, and they came in with a better understanding of the offense and what we want on the defensive end of the court."

Cascade lost six seniors -- Michelle Bauman, Trena Bowman, Tonaisha Bradley, Millie Carter, Tiffany Gibbs and Shelby Nelson -- off of last year's team that went 16-9 and lost in the first round of the district tournament to Community.

It was the second straight year the county rival Viqueens ended the Lady Champions' season.

Gibbs, who started for five seasons, is the program's all-time leading scorer with over 1,400 career points.

Among the freshmen, Elora Skuce provides an outside shooting touch. Haley Edmondson will run the point. Kelsey Parker should get plenty of minutes in the post.

"Right now we're a little more athletic, especially defensively, than what we were last year. We've got more size at the guard positions," Spencer said.

With so much youth and inexperience up and down the lineup, seniors Megan McBee, M.K. Potts and Jessica Walker must step into leadership roles both on and off the court.

A majority of the points night-in and night-out will likely come from Potts. Newcomer and sophomore Tiffani Grogan should help in that department.

Sophomore Jessica Popp has her work cut out for her in trying to defend some quality post players across the district such as Community's Megan Busbee, Forrest's Beth Hawn and Moore County's Heather Vann.

Van Buren County is no longer a part of District 9-A, but the TSSAA added old rivals Huntland and Moore County. The addition of the Lady Hornets and Raiderettes only strengthens an already-tough district that includes Forrest, who has made three straight trips to the Class A state tournament.

Cascade looked to gain some confidence up and down the program after it defeated Forrest in Chapel Hill back in January.

"Maybe the worst thing that happened last year was when we beat Forrest. That had been a goal of our kids since they were in the seventh grade to beat Forrest in something. When they finally did it seemed like a few of them got a little complacent," Spencer said.

The schedule allows the Lady Champs to get a look at the other half of Region 5-A with opponents like Clarksville Academy and East Robertson on the slate. Cascade hasn't made it out of the district tournament since the 2005-06 season.

"I feel like our district is so tough, if we can get to the region (tournament), anything can happen," Spencer said. "To get through the postseason, we've got to stay healthy. Right now, we're going to take it one game at a time since we're so young."

Cascade opens up with a Hall of Fame game at Class AAA foe Coffee County on Saturday night at 6:30.