WEST POINT — Stan Hughey is having fun this season.
The Oak Hill Academy girls basketball coach typically enjoys himself when he is on the court. But this season has been particularly pleasurable because the Lady Raiders have a blend of personalities that fits extremely well together.
“I think the biggest part of it is we have a bunch of girls with neat personalities,” Hughey said. “We have a big group of sophomores, but they”re a group everybody has kind of accepted. Nobody tries to put on a show that seems like they are better than them. … We never have had bad chemistry, but it is better this year than it has been.”
The result has been a 20-4 season in which Oak Hill Academy earned the top seed in Class AA, District 2 of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools.
Oak Hill Academy will try to take the first step in what it hopes will be a No. 1 seed in the North State tournament at 7 tonight when it takes on fourth-seeded Winston Academy in Louisville.
Oak Hill Academy, Manchester Academy, Carroll Academy, and Winston Academy all will advance to the North State tournament.
Senior post player Paige Dawkins and senior point guard Kayla Hall said chemistry has been a key to the team”s success. Hall said the players do more things together on and off the court, which has helped everyone bond and has made playing for each other more important.
“Everyone is more outgoing, and has their own personality, but it all comes together and brings us together as one team,” said Dawkins, who has a reputation for being “quite” humorous. She said she tries to lighten the mood if the team is having a particularly tough practice.
Dawkins, who missed most of last season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee, said Hall is a good leader who is very encouraging to her teammates. Hall said she took last season as a learning experience to show her how she wanted to help lead the team.
“We win and we lose as a team,” Hall said. “It is no one”s fault because everyone could have done better if we lose.”
Hughey would love to move immediately to the North State tournament and not to have to worry about any reshuffling of the squads. Regardless of when the team plays (weather today and over the weekend might wreak havoc with the tournament), Hughey likes how his girls have played this season.
Dawkins and Hall haven”t been surprised by what the team has accomplished. In fact, they might have expected it.
“We had younger girls coming in who were really good players,” Dawkins said. “We all have gotten better as we have moved to the higher grades. All of our skills came together.”
Said Hall, “Most of the younger girls were nervous at first, but we tried to encourage them to be brave and to play hard.”
That formula might sound easy, but it usually isn”t. It”s just that the Oak Hill Academy girls have made it look that way.
Hughey said depth is the team”s strength. He also points to the team”s defense and willingness to work hard to make up for its lack of height.
“We have good shooters, a good outside game, we have enough girls to play inside, but we have to make sure we go out and play extremely hard because we don”t have any Dandy Dozen players,” said Hughey , referring to The Clarion-Ledger”s annual awards that recognize the best players in the state.
Junior Tori Ellis leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Sophomore Anna Ready plays on the wing and is “as athletic as any player on our team.”
Hughey said sophomores Rachel Herndon and Shay Atkins and freshman Maegen Ellis add depth.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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