Trenton girls still the team to beat
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A shuffling of GIT seeds from a year ago still finds the Trenton Lady Bulldogs on top of the pyramid. The Trenton Lady Bulldogs are the tournament’s top seed for the fifth straight season and have dominated the event just as long. Other teams are waiting in the wings ready to unseat the 4-time champs if they can.
Trenton will have a new look this year after graduating 5 from last season’s squad that set a school record for wins (27) and ended in a third place finish in the Class 3 state tournament. On the plus side, the returning starter, junior Maci Moore, led the team in scoring a year ago. Seniors McKayla Blackburn and Lexi Whitaker were key contributors to last year’s Final Four run. A large sophomore class is expected to step into bigger roles.
Hardin-Central’s girls are the #2 seed for the first time after three straight years at #3. Carly Thacker, a 2018 All-GIT performer, leads the group, which could face Braymer in the semifinal round in a matchup of last year’s third place game. The H-C Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 15-9 season.
Braymer is seeded #3 in the girls’ tournament, the Lady Bobcats’ highest seeded GIT position since 2014. Senior Jasmine Taylor is a dominant player and could propel her team into Saturday’s championship game. Six other players return from last season’s squad that fell to Hardin-Central in the third place game. A possible rematch looms in the semifinal round.
Maysville’s Lady Wolverines lost 3 key players to graduation, Cat Whiteman, Hannah Klippenstein and Trinity Rhodes. Junior Sadie Smith is a returning starter. Also returning are seniors Olivia Owen and Emily Brown, juniors Josie Fitzwater and Sadie Smith, and sophomores Claire Catlett, Ashton Willis and Ashley Brown. The Lady Wolverines are looking for their first GIT game victory since the 2016 tournament. At #4, Maysville is seeded 2 spots higher than a year ago.
Polo returns 3 starters from last season’s squad that defeated Winston for the consolation title. Sophomores Mary Copeland and Haley Aubrey, along with senior Kelly Baldon will guide the Lady Panthers from the #5 seeded position. Polo looks to improve on last season’s 9-16 mark and 1-6 showing in the Grand River Conference Eastern Division. The Panthers enter 2019-20 action with 8 freshmen on their roster.
Gallatin’s Lady Bulldogs enter the season with a new coach, Taryn Douglas, 4 new starters and a smaller, younger lineup. The #6 Lady Bulldogs will build around returning guard/forward Madalyn Shubert with juniors Carli Beck, Claire Hemry, and Libby Endicott bringing back the most varsity experience. Sophomores Olivia Woody and Libby Wilson join freshmen Presley Wells, Addison Riley, Elle Copple and Ella Bradford on the varsity roster.
“As a team this season, we will be adapting to a new style of play,” says Coach Douglas. “Our post presence down low is not as significant as it has been in the years past so our guard roles and responsibilities are definitely changing when it comes to our offensive production,” she added. “Defensively, our strategy has switched over to small and quick,” she continued. “With this new style of play the girls are and have been adapting well to their new roles and have great work ethic.”
Winston’s girls are coming off an 11-14 season looking to replace all-conference and all-district performer Sophie Pliley. Junior Teagan Caldwell was #2 in scoring for the Lady Redbirds last season. Sophomores Tanleigh Sheetz, Abby Rhoades, Jordyn Inman, Emma Heldenbrand and Amy Caldwell were varsity players a year ago. Winston hopes to compete for an HDC title and build upon the success of last season.
The Gilman City Lady Hawks are coming off a 1-9 season with most of last year’s team intact, though they lost junior guard Michelle Sutton to a knee injury. Inexperience and youth caused the team to struggle a season ago but the Lady Hawks look to shoot better and play with more intensity. Key returners are sophomore point guard Jolee Ward and junior forward and perimeter threat Lindsey Snuffer. Also returning for Gilman City are juniors Bailey and Zoe Williamson, sophomores Sidney Gibson and Caitlynn McCrary. Riley Whitt is the lone freshman newcomer.
GHS boys draw first #1 seed since 2012
One of the biggest questions heading into this year’s Gallatin Invitational is whether the Winston boys can continue their dominance on the boys’ side of the bracket. It could be time for a new champion to be crowned after Saturday’s 3 p.m. contest.
The Gallatin Bulldogs have been pegged to lead the pack of boys’ teams into this year’s tournament, and for good reasons. The Bulldogs return 7 of last season’s top 8 players. Add to that a promising group of 11 freshmen. More height and a perfect balance of guards and forwards have Bulldog fans anxious to get the season started. “I think we’ll be a more consistent team night in and night out,” says Coach Chad Sullenger. “We’re going to put a team on the floor that can run with our athleticism improving,” he added. “Another strength will be our depth, with being able to go nine deep combined with our added length.”
This team is strong on senior leadership from Tristen Gibson, Aidan Adkison, Dylan Burns, Landon Corwin and JJ Waters.
Winston’s boys find themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position as the #2 tournament seed. The Redbirds have won 4 straight GIT titles from the top-seeded position but will carry on this season without last season’s top 2 scorers in Jacob Lewis and Cy Uthe. Jakub Hisel is a returning All-GIT honoree. Marshall Farrell, Brian Lewis and Jacob Uthe also played extensively last season. The Redbirds hope to compete for their seventh straight HDC title.
The Trenton Bulldogs drop down to the #3 seed after 5 straight years as the tournament’s #2 seed. Still, the Bulldogs will likely face Winston again in the semifinal round as a rematch of last year’s title game. The Bulldogs are looking toward a season of learning and growth with new roles for players and a new coaching staff. Jaren Whitney is the lone senior to go with a group of 7 juniors. Royce Jackson has varsity experience. Last season’s jayvee players will have to step up.
The Polo Panthers return 7 players from last season’s roster and will see 6 new faces as they hold down the #4 GIT seed. The Panthers will miss Jared Robison and James Blystone, leaders from last season’s team that won 4 of its last 5 regular season games. The Panthers opened their season against a good Plattsburg team on Tuesday.
The Maysville Wolverines finished off last year’s GIT with back-to-back wins and a consolation title. The Wolverines lost 12 seniors to graduation off last season’s squad, including all 5 starters. Junior Mallon Cole is the only returning player on a roster of 12. Forward/center Preston Hardin is the lone senior. As the #5 GIT seed, the Wolverines square off against Polo in the opening round. The two teams faced each other twice last season with the Panthers taking both contests, though by a 2-point margin right before the Christmas break.
Hardin-Central looks to improve vastly on last season’s 2-22 record with all 5 starters returning for action. Following a Monday night opener against Brunswick, the Bulldogs jump into the GIT as the #6 seed against the Bulldogs from Trenton. Picked to start by Coach Kirk Thacker are freshman Mason McCauley, sophomores Mason Freece and Bryden Schick, junior Trevor Gibson and senior Kyson Hughes.
Braymer, the #7 seed, faces defending champ Winston in the opening round with 12 players back from last season’s squad that fell to Maysville in last season’s GIT consolation final. Senior leadership will come from Dennis Kimberling, Dylan Haughton, Garrison Woods, Kegen Hays and Logan Haughton.
Gilman City takes on top-seeded Gallatin as the #8 tournament seed. The Hawks are coming off a 3-17 season with a solid freshman class that includes potential starters in Brody Langfitt and Kaden Locker. Junior point guard Jory Stotts returns, as well as post players Ira Johnson, a junior, and Cameron Gregg, a sophomore. Coach Adam Clark hopes to rotate 8 to 10 players into the lineup with a good mixture of size and speed. Team chemistry may have to wait as 3 players get a late start after suiting up for the Pattonsburg/Gilman City/North Harrison football team.