HOOPS: Peabody girls seek district title

After finishing runner-up in District 14-A last season, the Peabody girls have high expectations heading into the 2016-17 season after returning four starters from last season.

“We return most of our core of players from last year except Shakira Cliff,” Peabody girls coach Michael Hart said. “Our young players will continue to help us. We are not focused on winning this or that, but to improve as a team. We want to keep improving as we have the last several seasons.”

There are two players back for the Lady Tide in senior Maya Anderson and junior Stacie Mayberry.

“Maya has been a four-year starter,” Hart said. “She handles the ball and guards the best player. We look to her to be a leader on the floor. She is more vocal than Stacie.

“There is no secret that we look to Stacie to score the ball. But we have others that can step up and be contributors on this team.”

Playing District 14-A is tough as six of the nine teams in the district have reached the Class A state tournament since 2002. So Peabody must be ready to play every night to try and claim the district title.

“We have talked about it the last seveal years that we can’t take any game for granted,” Hart said. “It is going to be a fight every night. We have to be mentally and physically prepared and ready to execute.”

With eight players on the roster, Hart feels that staying healthy will be a key to the season.

“We have to stay injury free,” he said. “That is not one player that is less important than another. We lose one player to injury or sickness, and it will hurt us. We have to be ready to play, but we also have to take care of ourselves off the floor.”

For the boys, Peabody has been in the lower half of District 14-A with a roster loaded with underclassmen the last two years. Those players are now juniors, so they now have the opportunity to fight for a spot in the region tournament.

“We have everybody back for the next two years,” Peabody boys coach Tim Allen said. “We are finally growing up after we had to throw them in there as freshmen. For the juniors, this is their third year starting. They know what it takes to compete in this district.”

There is little doubt the Golden Tide will look to players like Cameron Luten and Khance Hill as key contributors. Luten was the second leading scorer last year and runs the offense, while Hill brings is his 6-foot-5 frame to dominate the glass.

But Allen was also impressed with the improvement of sophomore Jadarius Harris in the offseason.

“Harris has grown and he has been working on his shot, so he should be more of a factor for us,” Allen said. “The kids are all hungry after we won a few more games last year than the year before. They are anxious to prove that they have gotten better.”

Allen believes that what each player has done individually during the summer will benefit this team when practice starts next week.

“They have improved individually,” he said. “They are good kids, and they all work hard at it.

“We have to take care of the basketball, rebound and defend. I know that is cliche. We lack size, so we also have to rebound better.

Michael Odom, 425-9754

Trenton Peabody Golden Tide

Last year’s record/finish: 10-16 (5-11)/7th in District 14-A

2 key returners: Cameron Luten (G); Khance Hill (F)

2 key series: Bradford (Dec. 16 on road; Jan. 27 at home); Halls (Jan. 3 on road; Feb. 3 at home)

Trenton Peabody Lady Tide

Last year’s record/finish: 22-10 (11-5)/2nd in District 14-A

2 key returners: Stacie Mayberry (G); Maya Anderson (G)

2 key series: Gibson County (Dec. 6 on road; Jan. 17 at home); Greenfield (Dec. 1 at home; Dec. 13 on road)