RINGGOLD LADY TIGERS

state playoff appearances come to an end last season as a relatively young team finished 12-12 overall in a solid, competitive region. However, with a good nucleus of players coming back and a good group of rookies coming into the program, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Blue-and-white could be back in the state’s postseason much sooner rather than later.

Stockburger’s squad will return six players that were major contributors a year ago, including All-region point guard Sydney Pittman, who averaged nearly seven points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals as a sophomore last year.

The rest of the veteran junior group includes guard Wendy Hamby, guard/post player Shelby Cole and a pair of post players in Rachel Akers and Sarah Headrick.

Akers averaged a double- double ( 11.4 points, 12.5 rebounds) last season, while Cole put up 7.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals and nearly two assists a game. Headrick chipped in with 2.4 points and 3.6 boards a night, but unfortunately, she suffered a recent knee injury that could rob her of her entire junior season.

“That injury will hurt us,” Stockburger said. “But we’ll just have to try and replace her with several different people and I think some of our younger ones will be able to do that.”

The sophomore class includes point guard Caroline Hemphill and guard Faith Bryson, along with several other players that could see time at a guard or a post spot. Those players include twins Amber and Jade Gainer, Riley Nayadley and Maggie Reed.

Nayadley recorded 5.3 points and 7.7 boards as a freshman, while Reed added 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds a contest. The final sophomore, post player Gabi Clarke, is also dealing with a knee injury, but the team is hopeful that she will be able to return to the floor perhaps as early as Christmas.

The Lady Tigers will also get a boost this season from an impressive-looking freshmen contingent that includes guards Addi Broome, Sydney Cantrell, Taylor Layne and Rachel Lopez. Drew Burke and Baileigh Pitts will also add depth in the post.

“I feel like we did much better in the first few days of practice than we have in years’ past,” Stockburger explained. “I think we are getting better, especially on the defensive end. Based on our scrimmage (Nov. 6), the key to our season is that, as small as we are, we have got to block out on the defensive end. That’s the main thing. That and we also have to be able to keep pressure on the ball.

She said one of her team’s strengths this year will be its overall quickness.