L-R: #2 JAI DOWDY SR-SF, #0 KENDYL BREWSTER SR-PG, #3 MELO BROWN SR-SF, #3 HANNAH SMITH JR-PG, #2 KAITLYN HOUSE JR-SG, #5 ZOE EDGE SR-GUARD
Both the boy’s and girl’s teams finished last in the region last season and will look to improve on that finish this season. While both teams were able to remain extremely competitive and beat some of the better teams in the region, they struggled to post wins.
“I think it’s obvious that Pepperell hasn’t had a good track record the past couple of years, but I want to flip that narrative around,” said Head Coach Zach Thompson. “We’ve been having to play catchup since I wasn’t here in the summer. I didn’t get blessed with the team bonding aspect, but we have a group of guys who are putting in the work to build the foundation for this year and years to come.”
As far as personnel, Lindale will have some familiar faces back on the hardwood, specifically, the leadership of 4 seniors. Jai Dowdy, Melo Brown, Kendyl Brewster, and Evan Rhodes all return. Coach Thompson’s expectations for these seniors are to set the foundation for the future while competing hard to improve this season; laying the bricks for future Dragons.
For the “Ladies of the Duck Pond,” may not have exactly had the results that they wanted, but there were still a lot of positives to take away from what they experienced. They were able to remain competitive in numerous region games, with some tough opponents all throughout their schedule.
After losing a big senior class, Coach Emily Claytor will look to her upperclassmen to lay the foundation for the program moving forward. Juniors Kaitlyn House and Hannah Smith will be back, and another junior in Bricedee Stroud should see some valuable time in the frontcourt. Zoe Edge will have high expectations, being one of the seniors on an extremely young Lady Dragons team. While the expectations are high for these players, they’re there for a reason; they’re leaders, and players that Coach Claytor knows she can count on. Her expectations are simple.
“Be here, be hype, be humble,” says Claytor. “Our group of girls are encouraging, and we want to resemble Jesus in every endeavor, whether it be the way we play, act, or practice, and the same thing goes outside of the hardwood. We also want to build our team chemistry off the court, where it can translate to how we play on the court.”
While they haven’t gotten the results they wanted the past few seasons, there’s still a lot to look forward to in Lindale, and both Dragon and Lady Dragon programs are ready to compete.
