BOYS & GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEWS: Crothersville High School

Boys

Head coach: Clint Waskom
2008-09 record: 7-16
Returning varsity players: Chase Ackeret, Zach Elliott, Corey Lewis, Anthony Martin, Cameron Royalty
2009-10 outlook:

In his first season as head boys basketball coach at Crothersville, Clint Waskom is ready to see what his team can do on the court.

He said the team has spent many hours in the gym and weight room during the offseason, hoping that it will pay off when the season kicks off for the Tigers on Nov. 24 with Oldenburg Academy.

“The coaching staff can see the results of this effort each night in practice, and we are very pleased with the strides we have made from where we started at the beginning of summer to where we are now,” Waskom said. “I feel like we will be just as physically strong as any team on our schedule because of how hard they have worked in the weight room.”

But, he added, “We still have a very long way to go and a lot of improvement needs to be made from now until sectional time.”

There are five players returning who saw varsity minutes last year. Chase Ackeret is the lone senior, while juniors Zach Elliott, Corey Lewis, Anthony Martin and Cameron Royalty round out the returnees.

“He has done an exceptional job of stepping up into a leadership role,” Waskom said of Ackeret. “The upperclassmen have shown good leadership and positive attitudes throughout the summer months and preseason, and I will look for them to continue providing this throughout the season, whether it be in practice, games or in the classroom.”

Waskom expects to start two players who are 6-4 and 6-5, hoping to use that to the team’s advantage, and he said the team has speed and quickness.

“We have been spending a lot of time in practice working on defensive and rebounding fundamentals, and I feel that we have a chance to do well in these two vital areas as long as they continue to work hard to get better,” Waskom said.

With only one senior, however, Waskom will look for the underclassmen to step up their game. Taking care of the ball, playing under control and limiting turnovers will be the key things, he said.

“In the younger classes, several of the young men really love the game of basketball and they have really put in a lot of effort during the offseason,” Waskom said. “A lot of this can be attributed to the older kids that have been providing positive examples, as the younger kids have really been feeding off their energy and effort.”

Seeing how his team has responded so far, Waskom is optimistic about the upcoming season. He’s looking for the team to peak at the right time and be playing its best basketball by sectional time.

“I can’t say enough good things about how hard the boys have worked to make themselves better,” he said. “My goal for this team to accomplish this season is to improve each and every single day we step foot on the basketball court, in both games and practices. If we do this, then I feel like we will put ourselves into position to be successful this season.”

Roster

Freshmen: Tyler Allen, Jarrod Royalty, Brian Calhoun, Jordan Blythe, Jimmy Needler, Ean Lakins, Caleb Minton, Brandon Royalty
Sophomores: Logan Oakes, Mathew Lucas, Joe Sawyer, Ryan Gabbard, Eric Prewitt, Scotty Schuerman, Bradley Gabbard
Juniors: Zach Elliott, Richie Whipple, Corey Lewis, Anthony Martin, Chris Walker, Cameron Royalty
Senior: Chase Ackeret

Schedule

Nov. 24 Oldenburg Academy
Dec. 4 Medora
Dec. 5 at Rock Creek Academy
Dec. 11 at Springs Valley
Dec. 12 at Borden
Dec. 15 New Washington
Dec. 18 Shawe Memorial
Dec. 19 at Orleans
Dec. 28-30 Christian Academy Tournament
Jan. 9 at Christian Academy
Jan. 12 at West Washington
Jan. 22 South Central
Jan. 23 Edinburgh
Jan. 29 at Trinity Lutheran
Feb. 5 Henryville
Feb. 6 at Medora
Feb. 11 at Brownstown Central
Feb. 19 Lanesville
Feb. 26 Austin

Girls

Head coach: Kevin Hensley
2008-09 record: 17-6
Returning varsity players: Courtney Killey, Kylie Hensley, Brooke Prather, Denise Maxie, Karlie Schoenfelder
2009-10 outlook:

Coach Kevin Hensley has high expectations for the season as he begins his first year as head coach of the Crothersville Lady Tigers.

Hensley was the assistant coach at Crothersville the past three seasons, and he said he had also coached several members of the team in junior high.

Hensley feels he has a strong nucleus to build around in seniors Courtney Killey, Brooke Prather and Kylie Hensley. Prather averaged 13.6 points per game last winter, while Killey was at 10.1 and Hensley was at 5.3.

“I’ve got a one-guard front and a two-guard front,” Hensley said. “That way we can implement Brooke into that. She likes that wing shot.”

The coach said he expects a lot of the scoring to come from the outside.

“I’ve been trying to get the girls to penetrate,” he said. “We’ll try to run a lot.”

Another senior member of the team is Haileigh Crockett.

“Haileigh is such a good defensive player,” Hensley said. “She is quick. She has been running the 100 on the track team for three years. She and Kayla Barnett are so quick. They give us that quickness on defense.”

Hensley said with that quickness, he expects the Tigers to be able to press effectively.

“In matchups with the bigger teams, we might have to go with a zone, but with the smaller teams we should be in real good shape (playing man) with our quickness,” he said.

Hensley said one of the strengths of the team is the experience, “especially with the two guards, Brooke and Courtney, because they can be great leaders and lead the team. We’ve got the two juniors back (Barnett and Ashleigh Allen), which are going to be a great help.”

Sophomores Kelsey Hoskins, Denise Maxie, Kassondra Sawyer and Karlie Schoenfelder played in some varsity games last winter.

The coach expects Killey, Barnett and Schoenfelder to lead the team in rebounding.

Allen missed the first four games with back problems, but she returned to the lineup Tuesday.

There are 15 girls on the roster, and Crothersville will play a junior varsity schedule this winter.

“I’m going to try and get all these girls some playing time and see what we’ve got,” Hensley said. “These younger ones don’t have a lot of experience. I’m trying to implement the system down into the lower grades. The girls have some high goals and expectations.”

The Tigers won four straight games to win the Henryville Tip-Off Tournament last week. 

Roster

Freshmen: Lauren Barnes, Wendy Collman, Savannah Wooten
Sophomores: Erica Harris, Kelsey Hoskins, Jessica Lynch, Denise Maxie, Kassondra Sawyer, Karlie Schoenfelder
Juniors: Ashleigh Allen, Kayla Barnett
Seniors: Haileigh Crockett, Kylie Hensley, Courtney Killey, Brooke Prather

Schedule

Nov. 10 Crothersville 50, Trinity Lutheran 33
Nov. 12 Crothersville 63, Oldenburg Academy 42
Nov. 13 Crothersville 56, Shawe Memorial 47
Nov. 14 Crothersville 45, Henryville 35
Nov. 17 Crothersville 55, Borden 50
Nov. 20 at Orleans
Dec. 1 at Waldron
Dec. 5 at South Central
Dec. 8 at Eastern (Pekin)
Dec. 17 West Washington
Dec. 21 Shawe Memorial
Jan. 2 Scottsburg
Jan. 5 Henryville
Jan. 7 Christian Academy
Jan. 11 at Lanesville
Jan. 14 Edinburgh
Jan. 18 at Medora
Jan. 21 at Austin
Jan. 23 Springs Valley
Jan. 26 New Washington
Jan. 30 Trinity Lutheran
Feb. 1 at Rock Creek Academy