News-Times Girl All-Area Team announced.

Union County did not hit the jackpot this season in girls basketball. But, area teams played their cards well, producing several winning hands. El Dorado fielded a title-contending squad while both Parkers Chapel and Junction City stepped into the postseason to establish themselves among their classification’s elite.

The Lady Wildcats had a pair of aces up their sleeves with Mekaylan Hicks and Tasheanne Armstrong, who led the team to the quarterfinals of the 6A State Tournament. The Lady Trojans, led by Lauren Brumley and Bailey Norwood, finished in the money as the 7AA-East champions while the Nikayla Fisher-led Lady Dragons proved to be more than just a wild card.

Forced poker references aside, the El Dorado News-Times Girls All-Area Basketball First Team is loaded with aces. Brumley led the area in scoring for the second straight year. Armstrong emerged as a top-notch 3-point shooter. Hicks, Norwood and Fisher led, perhaps, the best class of sophomores to come through this area in a number of years.

Armstrong, a 5-4 junior, averaged 11 points per game for the Lady Wildcats. She hit 56 3-pointers and sparked El Dorado’s frenetic defense with 52 steals. She was an All-State performer.

“She had a very solid year,” said El Dorado coach Stephen Harshaw. “One of our concerns, losing what we lost with our other guards, was that people would begin to pay attention (to Armstrong). And with Taylor (graduated post McCool), with people sinking and sagging off, we were worried about if (Armstrong) would be able to produce with more of the focus being on her. I think one of the things everybody overlooks is she was a much, much improved on-ball defender. She was actually one of our best on-ball, containment defenders this year, which shows she took what we told her and worked on it.

Tasheanne was a very good energy player. She was a leader for us. That was huge for us to have a balance with our inside game, to have that outside threat and, in general, to have that Speedy Gonzalez on the court, that she gave us this year.”

Armstrong joined Hicks to give the Lady Wildcats a formidable one-two punch.

“They’ve got nicknamed Thunder and Lightning,” said Harshaw. “You had the speed on one end and the boom on the other.”

In El Dorado’s case, the “boom” was an enigmatic rookie, capable of mountainous highs. Hicks, a 5-10 sophomore forward, averaged 13.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game. She proved just as capable of taking over a game as she did drawing her coach’s ire.

In the big games, though, Hicks put her best foot forward, averaging 25 and 10 in the state tournament.

“It was a huge season for us. She did an excellent job replacing Taylor. That was a huge point of concern for us, filling that gap. Mekaylan came in and did a great job for being just a sophomore,” said Harshaw, who didn‘t think twice about putting the heavy burden of expectations on her young shoulders.

“We weren’t hesitant. Your best players have got to be your best players. They’ve got to shoulder the weight and expectations of such. Of course, there’s always going to be a learning curve. There’s going to be some frustrating moments. But, you might as well go ahead and throw them into the fire while they’re young so they can learn quicker. I think she definitely did that, especially when you look at her state tournament production. She went from 13 points a game to 23 points a game. She went from eightand-a-half rebounds to 12 rebounds in two state tournament appearances. She was, easily, one of the most dominant players in the state tournament. I think that shows, by the end of it all, she was ready for those expectations and those pressures.”

If Hicks needs someone to talk to who understands carrying an extra load, she could contact Brumley. The 5-9 senior point guard filled the do-it-all role for the Lady Trojans for the past two seasons. This year, she got her team over the hump and into the 2A State Tournament with a 24-9 record.

Brumley averaged 17.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the league champions. She shot 39.7 percent from 3-point range, hitting 54-of-136 from beyond the arc.

More importantly for PC, she was there for every game, avoiding, or at least playing through, the illnesses and injuries that had plagued her junior season.

“I think she was just unbelievable,” said Parkers Chapel coach Mark Young. “It’s really hard to put a finger on it. Because of everything she went through with her knee and with injuries as a junior. Having to come back and play with a brace on her knee and everything. Obviously, early in the year I think she was limited in what she thought she could do and what she could do. I think she finally picked it up as a senior and got going.

“Down the stretch, it was awfully tough on her again. The knee bothered her, I think, for most of the year. I really don’t think she was ever probably 85 percent, probably. She still, I thought, was the best player in our league and one of the best players in the state. It’s a tribute to her and her toughness and her will to play and try to help her team. It was just really a fabulous year. I think a lot of people don’t know everything she went through as a player and an athlete. With that knee, to still do what she did was quite an accomplishment.”

As a team, Junction City had its fair share of injuries and illnesses. Fisher struggled late in the season with the flu but managed to lead the Lady Dragons with 10.3 points, 3.1 steals and 2.4 assists per game.

The 5-6 sophomore started the year as the shooting guard but was forced to play the point when a knee injury sidelined Jyrezhia Nathan.

“At first, she didn’t embrace it,” said Junction City coach Henry Harrell. “After the second ball game, we had a conversation and she knew she had to step up and she stepped up and helped us that second game after Nathan went out. And, she handled it real well. She embraced it after that. She knows what it takes now to get to the next level so she’s working hard and doing that.”

Junction City finished with a 20-6 record with two wins over Parkers Chapel down the stretch, including the championship game of the 7AA-East District Tournament.

“Late in the year, she was our primary ball handler after Nathan went down. She brought a lot to the table,” said Harrell. “She’s a good ball handler, level-headed on the floor. She plays harder, can take it to the basket. She was one who could break down the pressure when the other team trapped us. She was just an all-around athlete.”

Although PC entered the season as the defending league champion, some were skeptical of their chances at a repeat because of a perceived lack of a post presence. As much as Brumley provided the team, Norwood’s play in the paint, averaging 11.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, was just as instrumental in the Lady Trojans’ championship season.

“I think everybody knew going into the season what our seniors were going to bring to us. We didn’t know about Bailey early,” said Young. “I knew she was capable. I knew she had a good build and she was strong and she was strong-willed. I thought as the season progressed, she got more comfortable in her role. She gave us everything we could possibly ask her to give us and then some. Rebounding, playing defense every night, playing in there against bigger girls that were older, a lot of times, and more experienced than her. It didn’t show as much as I thought it would. She was really a big factor in why we were so successful.”

The News-Times AllArea Second Team consists of Strong’s LaTina Davis, Charria Perry and Moesha Thrower along with Smackover’s Makara Frazier and Junction City’s Chakeenia Malone.

The Lady Bulldogs had an up-and-down season, finishing third in the league but winning the Dual State Tournament. Their trio of returning starters shouldered the load on the court.

“We had to really lean on these three for just about all of our scoring. That's a lot of pressure,” said Strong coach Jason Porter. “They all stepped up at different times of the year.”

Thrower, a junior guard, was one of the area’s top scorers, averaging 16.7 points and 4.8 assists per game.

“Moesha had a target on her back the entire year,” said Porter. “We saw a lot of box-and-one on her during the second portion of the year. She kept working and finally learned how to use her picks to get free.”

Davis, a senior point guard, keyed the Lady Bulldogs’ defense and was an improved offensive threat, averaging 12.9 points and 6.5 assists.

“Tina was our defensive dynamo,” said Porter. “She just has a knack for getting steals. What I was really impressed with this year was her aggressiveness on the offensive end. Last year we had to beg her to shoot.”

Perry, a 5-7 forward, might’ve been her team’s most consistent performer. She averaged 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, despite playing through pain.

“Charria was a warrior the whole year,” said Porter. “Most people don't know this but she played on a torn ACL the entire year. I don't know many kids that could or would do that. Shows a lot about her character and love for the game. She was probably our most consistent scorer and rebounder.

“Her and Tina showed a lot of senior leadership this year. They got a Dual State championship their senior year. I'm very proud of that.”

Smackover didn’t enjoy a lot of team success but the Lady Bucks did show improvement in Coach Mikey Moss’ second year. Frazier, a senior guard, played a part in that, averaging 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

“Makara has been amazing to coach these past two seasons. Her character and work ethic are going to take her far. Players like Makara are difficult to replace,” said Moss.

“She was my point guard and captain. She shouldered the burden of a tough season like a real competitor should. Consistently pushing and encouraging her teammates to battle for success.”

Malone, a 5-8 forward, was pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, the most dominant rebounder in the area. The sophomore averaged 10.1 rebounds to go with 9.3 points per game. She also showed off a streaky shooting touch, netting 26 3-pointers on the season. Because of her relentless effort on the floor, Harrell described her as the “heart-and-soul” of the team.

“She comes to practice every day, wanting to get better. She played hard when she was on the floor,” he said. “She don’t mind getting in there and banging. Any loose ball, she’ll get on the floor and get after it. She’ll shoot it and go get her own rebound. She’s just the heart and soul of the team. She played hard all the time.”