While the Marshall County Tigerettes have just one upperclassman on their roster this season due to graduation and defections, fourth-year coach David Junkins is hoping some younger players will be able to fill the breach.

Last season, the Tigerettes finished third in the District 12-AA standings, but had a brief stay in the playoffs after dropping a heartbreaking 41-40 decision to sixth seeded Summit in the first round of the conference tournament.

Heavier load

After losing three starters from last year's squad, including leading scorer Marissa Lyttle, guards Allison Hargrove (Sr.) and Kiya Morris (Soph.) will have to shoulder a greater offensive load this season.

As the lone senior on the roster, Hargrove has taken the main leadership role on the team and plays with a high motor. Along with being a strong defensive player, Hargrove is a good rebounder and has developed a nice midrange jumper.

"Allison hustles constantly and is a good scorer in transition. She also has worked hard on her shooting and has a good understanding of our defensive schemes," said Junkins. "She's worked really hard in the spring and in the summer. We're looking for some other girls to step up and help her."

Coming off a solid freshman campaign, Morris started at small forward for the Tigerettes last year, but will move to shooting guard this season while also seeing time at point guard. Along with being a strong rebounder and defender, Morris can also beat opponents off the dribble and has improved her outside shooting.

"Kiya is going to carry more of the load for us offensively. She can play both guard positions and her outside shot has gotten much better," said Junkins.

Sophomore starter

Sophomore Katie Greer is expected to start at point guard for MCHS. Greer brings an unselfish attitude to the position and usually looks to get her teammates involved before shooting.

Sophomore Alexis Ford will replace Lyttle at center. Although she doesn't possess Lyttle's physical strength, Ford has a long frame and has the potential to be a excellent shot blocker and rebounder. She has also worked on refining her low post moves and has chance to develop into a viable scoring threat in the paint.

"Alexis played soccer this year and has improved her overall body coordination. We're going to be more guard oriented this year, but if we can get Alexis to come along offensively we can be successful. She has to get double digit points and rebounds for us," said Junkins.

Sophomore Ti Lee is the frontrunner to start at the other post position. Lee is an inexperienced player, but is a good athlete and is improving rapidly.

Reserves

Guards Zachuriya O'Neal (Fr.) and Lexie Allen (Soph.) will be Marshall County's two main reserves in the backcourt. Considered the fastest player on the team, O'Neal is adept at beating defenders off the dribble and getting to the rim. O'Neal is a tough, gritty player that plays hard on defense and takes good shots on offense.

Sophomore Dymond Wicks could provide MCHS with some depth in the front court. Wicks has good strength and can bang around inside, but also has great hands and a nice turnaround jumper.

Freshmen forwards Britni Davis, Taianda Hutton, and Tykiera Gulley also have a chance to see some playing time. Davis is a good spot up three-point shooter, while Hutton runs the court well and can score in transition. Gulley is an undersized post player, but is willing to mix it up in the paint.

Tough district

Although District 12-AA has been reduced from nine teams to six, the Tigerettes' saw two-time defending Class AA state champ Christ Presbyterian move into their conference along with a solid Cascade program.

With two-time defending District champ Page losing their entire starting lineup from last year's squad, CPA will be the heavy favorite to win the league crown, but Junkins doesn't plan on simply conceding games to the private school power.

"CPA and Cascade are unknowns to us. CPA has won back-to-back state titles, but they lost their three leading scorers from last year's team. They're both quality teams and are well coached," said Junkins. "We're still going after a District title and that isn't going to change. We want to be the best defensive team in the District. This is also the best academic team we've had since I've been here so this is a very disciplined group of girls that works very hard."

If the Marshall County's younger players can mature quickly, the Tigerettes have chance to finish in the top half of the District standings and advance to the Region 6-A tournament.

Marshall County Tigerettes 2013-14 basketball roster

Number Name Class

3 Britni Davis Fr.

4 Zachuriya O'Neal Fr.

12 Kiya Morris Soph.

14 Ti Lee Soph.

15 Allison Hargrove Sr.

22 Katie Greer Soph.

30 Lexie Allen Soph.

31 Alexis Ford Soph.

32 Taianda Hutton Fr.

42 Tykiera Gulley Fr.

44 Dymond Wicks Soph.