White County made a huge splash when pulling Steve Shedd from Banks County. The Lady Warriors, who bring back arguably the best 1-2 punch in the area in Kylie Watkins and Emma Lightsey, have several others and now have Ella Kate Shedd to add to the arsenal….AND a HUGE get from Commerce. This group looks like a Championship-caliber team.
PRESEASON INFO
2023-24 Record: 22-8; Elite 8; #2 Rank
Head Coach: Steve Shedd (1st Season)
Returning Starters: 3
Key Departures: Aubrey Free, Aaliyah Anderson (Emmanuel), Zoe Burkett
Key Players: Kylie Watkins, Emma Lightsey, Mya Yeh, Jada Palumbo (Commerce transfer), Ella Kate Shedd (Banks transfer), Kiannah Dorsey, Matelyn Allison, Maddie Kate Hall, Cooper Weaver, Kalynn Watkins, Bree Burkett, Aslyn Burkett, Anijah Moss, Josselyn Burke
“Having talented leaders like Mya Yeh, Emma Lightsey, and Kylie Watkins is huge moving forward,” says Shedd. “Their leadership will help set the standard for our team. Adding transfers like Jada Palumbo and Ella Kate Shedd will provide a huge boost to an already talented lineup. We are expecting huge things from returning varsity players like Kiannah Dorsey, Matelyn Allison, Maddie Kate Hall, and Cooper Weaver. Our sophomore class is very deep and talented, with players like Kalynn Watkins, Bree Burkett, Aslyn Burkett, Anijah, Moss, Ella Kate Shedd, and Josselyn Burke. We expect those sophomores to get a lot of varsity playing time this season.”
Offense: Fast-paced with a lot of player/ball movement
Strengths: “Depth, balance, experience,” according to Shedd.
Biggest Challenges: “Staying healthy, tough region/non-region schedule,” adds Shedd.
“The expectations are probably pretty high, but we can’t allow ourselves to listen to the talk very much,” states Shedd. “We will attack each practice and game throughout the season with a blue-collar approach, one game at a time. We want to play a tough non-region schedule to help prepare us for our always tough region schedule.”
