L-R: #12 SARAH HARRIS GUARD, #2 KAITLYN HOUSE GUARD, #3 HANNAH SMITH POINT GUARD, #1 ANTONIO BARTON JR POINT GUARD, #5 AARON WOOD GUARD, #24 ROB WHELCHEL FORWARD
Pepperell Dragon’s basketball is building towards a heat check. With the girls coming extremely close to a state tournament berth and the boys only getting 1 win in the 24-25 season, the goals are different, but similar for the two squads. Their mantra is to get better every day and if the girls achieve that, a playoff spot for an experienced team is certainly in play, while the boys are working just as hard to develop the chemistry, accountability and teamwork needed to start the train rolling in the right direction.
Lady Dragons coach Emily Claytor begins her 7th year at the helm after returning to coach at her alma mater in 2019. The proud Dragon, led Unity Christian School to two region championships and two Elite Eight’s before taking the job in Lindale, so she brought with her the know-how for building a winning program.
Her roster this year is highlighted by a trio of guards in seniors Kaitlyn House and Hannah Smith along with junior Sarah Harris. The experience those three provide will be a valuable asset to a team ready to get over the playoff hump.
“We were a few hundredth points off making the state tournament last year,” recalls Claytor. “That, of course, stung, but stuck with us. We want to build on that. They will play tough and they are not going to quit until that final buzzer, no matter what the scoreboard says.”
That kind of mental fortitude is exactly what a team needs to compete for a playoff spot and the experience from last year will continue to fuel the fire.
“Over the past few years, we’ve kind of struggled with numbers with our upperclassmen,” says Claytor. “And so this year, having 3 seniors, we’re in a different position. They have played in big moments in big games, so our goal is to build on those experiences this season.”
The boys are also looking to build but are still in the starting phases of that process under 2nd-year Dragons Head Coach Zach Thompson. Thompson knew he had a project on his hands when he took over and embraced the fact that the foundation for the program had to be built from the ground up.
“Last year, although the success didn’t come in the win column, it did come with our accountability,” said Thompson. “There were some heartaches, there were some tough conversations for sure, and through that adversity we succeeded in becoming a better team off the court.”
The Dragons are a young team, with senior Rob Whelchel and sophomores Antonio Barton and Aaron Wood leading the way for the 25-26 season. That trio will look to be the brick and mortar for the future of Dragons basketball. Coach Thompson is proud of the accountability and focus of his players both on the court and in the classroom.
“Our boys are working hard to be better basketball players every day,” says Thompson, but they are working even harder on becoming good men. Every player on our team is excelling in the classroom and while I promise you I want to win as many games as we can here, helping my players grow as young men off the court also means a lot to me.”
Both Dragons teams will be ready to lace up their shoes and take the court for the Lindale faithful with hopes of laying the building blocks of success.
