Parklane Academy head girls’ basketball coach Russell Cruise stood by and watched in disbelief.
After a courageous performance by his Lady Pioneers, a buzzer-beating basket by Starkville Academy ended Parklane’s season, 62-60 in the first round of last season’s Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA state tournament.
To help his team gain more experience, Cruise scheduled a series of offseason camps. The big trip over the summer included a camp in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., in which Parklane played eight games against some top-notch competition.
The Lady Pioneers also hosted their own camp this past summer. The list of opponents included the South Pike Lady Eagles.
Cruise hopes the extra work for his team adds up to more victories and an improvement on the Lady Pioneers’ 6-18 overall record from last season. The task will be especially difficult with just two returnees in Parklane’s starting five.
The Lady Pioneers will rely heavily on a young corps of players led by sophomore point guard Maggie Paulk.
After moving up to the varsity team late last season, the 5-foot-5 Paulk averaged 11 points and five assists per game.
“She did an excellent job this summer,” Cruise said. “She ran the offense and she’s the type of player that is going to give 100 percent effort the whole game.”
Junior Kellen Choate (5-7) will get the nod at shooting guard.
Last year, Choate averaged nine points per game and was named Second Team All-Conference.
“She gives us leadership and scoring,” Cruise said. “She’s our most experienced player.”
Senior wing guard Leighton Honea returns after playing just 15 games last season due to a knee injury. She averaged four points per game in 2008-09.
“She’ll give us more offense this year,” Cruise said. “Leighton’s got a lot of experience and she’s a good shooter.”
Honea will share time at the wing with sophomore Molly Adams, Parklane’s 5-foot-6 perimeter threat.
“She has excellent speed and she shoots the ball well,” Cruise said. “Once she catches up with the speed at the varsity level, she’s going to do well.”
The Pioneers will have an inside presence with 5-foot-10 sophomore center Tylyn Brumfield, who averaged just three points a game last year but did much of her work on the boards and on defense, with seven rebounds and two blocks per game.
“She’ll be drawing the assignment to guard (the opponent’s) best post player,” Cruise said.
Emily Alford rounds out the starting five. The slender, 5-foot-10 Alford gives Parklane another post presence. She averaged nine points a game last year. Cruise said Alford has worked hard to improve her post moves and has become fundamentally sound.
“She handles the ball well for her size,” Cruise said. “I expect her to go down in transition and get some easy baskets.”
The reserves this season include senior forward Leah Hughes (5-9), sophomore guard Charlie Ott (5-4), senior guard/forward Ashton Aldridge (5-7), sophomore guard Kelsey Culotta (5-4) and sophomore post player Teryn Chandler (5-10).
Cruise said Chandler is recovering after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee, and is not expected back until January.
He said the Pioneers will operate a four-guard offense with plenty of motion much of this season. They also will occasionally run a high-low offense with two post players, he said. On defense, look for the Lady Pioneers to employ a mix of man half-court and 1-1-3 zone.
The Lady Pioneers will have their home opener Tuesday night at 6:30 against Columbia.
