Melbourne is young but experienced after 27-8 finish

Despite being a fairly young team, the Melbourne Bearkatz girls basketball team has a ton of experience after not losing a single starter from last year’s program, which finished 27-8. “We have everybody coming back,” head coach Eric Teague said. “Last year, we had a couple of ninth-graders and 10th-graders, so we are young again, but they do have a little bit of experience. “We did not lose a single senior this year.” Senior Halle Cooper was the team’s second leading scorer last year with 8.1 points per game. The coach said Cooper is one of the better 3-point shooters he has and said she has spent a lot of time in the gym working on her shot. “She is going to be a senior, so there is a little bit of urgency to get better and to have a good season,” Teague said. Kate Shinn was second on the team in rebounding, and the coach said she is one of his best inside players. “She is a hard worker and is very busy on the inside,” Teague said. “She is able to post up very well, and she has a great spin move inside and is very strong. “She has good technique.” Senior Reagan Rapert led the team in scoring with 18.9 points per game, with 3.3 assists and 3.5 steals. The coach said Rapert also led the team in free-throw percentage. “She is a very explosive athlete and has great court vision,” Teague said. “She is a really explosive guard and very physical. She is a very good scorer.” Rapert has received offers from Harding University in Searcy and the University of Tennessee at Martin. Melbourne, which plays in the 2A-3 Conference, made it to the state semifinals last year. “We are very small,” Teague said. “I think our tallest person is about 5-7, but we do have quick guards. And our depth is real good, too. We are going to have 10 girls on the court, so we can push the ball offensively and defensively. “If we play as a team, we should be very competitive.”