The Lady Indians are set to pen a new chapter in their history as the 2021-22 season features new head coach Lowell Hamilton stepping in. Hamilton will have a roster that includes a few key pieces from last season’s playoff team, including a pair of All-Region selections.
A year ago, TFS went 16-8 overall on the way to a Region Runner-Up finish in the tournament, and regular season Region Championship on the way to a third straight playoff berth. The Lady Indians went on to drop their first round game in the state playoffs.
Leading scorer Denika Lightbourne returns as a junior, as does fellow All-Region honoree Veronaye Charlton. The duo combined for nearly 26 points per game and had over 200 combined rebounds and nearly 200 assists.
The team will be without mainstay Katy Corbett, who graduated as the program’s sixth-highest scorer (959 points). Corbett, who also recorded the second-most rebounds (693) in a career, is the all-time assists (237) and blocks (38) leader, as well as 3-pointers made (180) leader. Other key pieces that graduated include Iray Adeleke and Abby Carlan.
The Lady Indians will feature a young supporting cast around Lightbourne and Charlton and will open the season with a November 9 scrimmage at home against Rabun Gap. The regular season official opener is November 12 at Mt. Paran, with the home opener to take place on December 3 against Hayesville (NC). The program will aim for a fourth consecutive state playoff appearance.
The offense is expected to maintain a high level of efficiency, and build off last year’s third-highest scoring season in school history. However, the defense will aid in that goal significantly.
“We will be a tough rebounding team with the ability to transition quickly both offensively and defensively,” says Hamilton. “We expect to play hard with high intensity for 32 minutes without letting up. With that said, we will be in great physical condition.”
