By Chris Parker
Senior captains Jade Watson and Lexi Essick will be looking to lead Reeds Spring girls basketball to its first winning season in nine years.
Watson, who was named honorable mention all-conference last year, makes the Lady Wolves go. She averaged 15.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 2.5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game last year.
“Jade is our engine,” Reeds Spring head coach Jessica McNichols said. “She is a natural competitor. She has worked very hard to put herself and our team in the best situation possible. She sets the tone for us on each end of the floor.”
Essick is a small forward who leads by example.
“She doesn’t take plays off and you will usually find her chasing down a rebound or battling for a loose ball,” McNichols said. “We love her effort and energy.”
Sophomore guards Harley Watson and Aubree Davis also return for Reeds Spring.
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Watson has shown marked improvement from this time last year to now.
“Outside of her sister Jade, Harley gained the most experience. She was thrown into varsity basketball as a freshman, due to a list of injuries,” McNichols said. “Harley showed up every day working hard to push herself and our team. She is becoming more consistent and confident on both sides of the floor. We love her hustle and intensity.”
Davis does all the little things right for her team.
“Aubree is another player who gained a lot of varsity experience due to injuries,” McNichols said. “We love that Aubree always hustles and can consistently knock down an open shot for us.”
A trio of juniors will be newcomers to watch for Reeds Spring including Brithny Saucedo-Longoria, Logan Dickens and Meadow Phillips. Saucedo-Longoria and Dickens were slated to be key varsity contributors last year, but injuries derailed their seasons.
McNichols on Saucedo-Longoria: “Brithny was scheduled to run the point last year, but was sidelined for the majority of the season with a recurring shoulder injury. We are looking forward to the payoff of all the hard work she put in this off-season.”
McNichols on Dickens: “Logan played in about half of our contests last season due to a recurring ankle injury. She are looking forward to Logan contributing as a consistent shooter and rebounder this season.”
McNichols on Phillips: “Meadow always has a great attitude. She is willing to work at any position we assign her. We know that she will always give us 100%.”
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This will be McNichols’ second season as head coach of the Reeds Spring girls basketball program. The familiarity with her and her expectations will be a strength.
“Our greatest strength will be that we have a year under our belts together. Last year was challenging with minimal opportunities to build a strong foundation,” McNichols said. “The biggest area we need to improve on is consistency. We can do a lot of things well for short periods of time. We have to be able to put pieces together consistently.”
Reeds Spring will travel to Hollister on Nov. 16 for a jamboree with Branson and Hollister. The Lady Wolves open the regular season Nov. 29-Dec. 3 at the Blue Eye Tournament.
