After the departure of four of its top-5 scorers from a season ago, the Todd County Central girls’ basketball team will look to leading scorer and rebounder Lucy Chester and a group of young players to fill the void in 2021. First-year head coach Lee Quarles inherits a team coming off a 3-24 season that ended with a first-round district loss to Logan County, the second-straight season the Lady Rebels failed to advance to the 4th-Region tournament.
Emoni Fort and Shelby Johnson’s graduation leaves a hole in the paint, with Fort second on the team in points and rebounds last season. Johnson was third in both categories, while Jordan Weathers’ ball handling at the point guard position will also be missed. In addition to the loss of four seniors, forward Eliza Simons also won’t return after a junior season in which she was fifth in both points and rebounds.
Chester leads the returnees after averaging just over 10 points and 6 rebounds per game as an All-District selection as a freshman, including a team-high 26/71 on 3-point attempts. Senior G/F Jayla Leavell was the only player to appear in all 27 games last season, averaging almost 3 points and 2.5 rebounds per outing, fourth-best in both categories.
Juniors Tamiya Foster, Jadynn Boards, and Yasmine Peterson are the only other upperclassmen, while Jamaia Coleman and Ciara Collins logged significant minutes as sophomores. Freshman Abby Williams scored a shade under 4 points per game, and Alexis Taylor flashed star potential with 3.4 points and just under 2 rebounds in only 7 appearances as a 7th-grader.
The Lady Rebels kick off the season with a trip to Christian Fellowship on January 4, before a big test at 5th-District champion and region-semifinalist Trigg County. 4th Region All-A play begins with a matchup with Monroe County before a 13th District opener at Russellville on January 15
Listen as Coach Quarles previews the upcoming season.
