Recent top 10 ranking has Stewart County girls basketball thinking big

Two weeks ago, Stewart County's girls basketball team was soaking up talk inside the high school and around the Dover community about its No. 10 ranking in the Associated Press high school basketball poll.

Nobody seems to know exactly when the last time a Stewart County girls team was ranked. But at this point it doesn't matter because the 2017-18 season will be remembered for when it happened.

"It was like a dream really," junior Holli Shepherd said. "I mean everyone was talking about it. It made us feel good that the work we have put in all these years is paying off."

Stewart County lost two straight games before beating Waverly on Tuesday. Those two losses dropped it out of the top 10 in Class AA this week, but Shepherd said her team is determined to reclaim a spot in the rankings.

"We have a lot of goals and being ranked wasn't one of them when the season started," Shepherd said. "Then when it happened, and then we lost it, we want it back."

The Rebelettes are 17-4 and are three wins away from one of several preseason goals — get to 20 wins.

"We haven't won the district regular season and tournament titles since the early 1990s and we've never won region," coach Gilbert Harper said. "Those are two really big goals for us. We sat down before the season started and laid out exactly what we wanted to do. I think it gave the girls something to focus on and shoot for."

Already with a 9-1 District 11-AA record, Shepherd said that single-minded approach has worked well.

"Our practices are a whole lot different this year," she said. "It seems like everyone is serious, every practice. It's like we know what's at stake every game."

Stewart County has only two seniors with Shepherd averaging 16 points. McKenzie Wallace is the team's top 3-point shooter, and Carolynn White is what Harper describes as the district's "top defensive player."

"A ranking doesn't mean anything if you can't back it up," Harper said. "Once you reach that status, teams are coming for you and then you have to learn to play as the target."

For nearly two decades, Stewart County's success on the basketball court has been sporadic. In 2013-14, the Rebelettes were 21-9. That was the program's first 20-win season in more than 15 years. In 2006-07, Stewart County didn't win a game.

"This year has been fun," Harper said.

Three starters returned from last year's 17-13 squad and two more players, including the indispensable Kyanne Crockarell, have vast varsity experience.

"We can tell when Kyanne is out," Harper said. "She is such a spark for us. But we also can go about eight or nine deep."

Harper, however, is keeping his team's recent ranking in perspective.

"We don't want to lose sight of larger goals," he said. "We have to take care of business the rest of the way."

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.