Lady Tigers look to learn as they go
Inexperienced squad hopes to use quickness and size to their advantage
Submitted photo Pictured are members of the 2021 Elkins High School girls basketball team. Front row, from left to right, Lauren D’Angelo, Bethany Bennett, Aaliyah Hogue and Niya Nutter; back row, Hannah Davis, Laney Fletcher, Gracelin Corley, Emerson Haddix, Anna Belan, Alexa Triplett, Celia Ricottilli and Autumn Lane.
Elkins head coach Matt Davis gives his team instruction in a contest against Philip Barbour from the 2019-20 season. The Lady Tigers open the 2021 campaign March 3 at Preston.
Anna Belan navigates through the Fairmont Senior defense during a game from last season. Belan, a junior guard, is the top returning scorer for the Lady Tigers.
The Inter-Mountain file photo Elkins High School sophomore Autumn Lane dribbles between a pair of Pocahontas County defenders last season.
Submitted photo Pictured are members of the 2021 Elkins High School girls basketball team. Front row, from left to right, Lauren D’Angelo, Bethany Bennett, Aaliyah Hogue and Niya Nutter; back row, Hannah Davis, Laney Fletcher, Gracelin Corley, Emerson Haddix, Anna Belan, Alexa Triplett, Celia Ricottilli and Autumn Lane.
Elkins head coach Matt Davis gives his team instruction in a contest against Philip Barbour from the 2019-20 season. The Lady Tigers open the 2021 campaign March 3 at Preston.
Anna Belan navigates through the Fairmont Senior defense during a game from last season. Belan, a junior guard, is the top returning scorer for the Lady Tigers.
The Inter-Mountain file photo Elkins High School sophomore Autumn Lane dribbles between a pair of Pocahontas County defenders last season.
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Submitted photo
Pictured are members of the 2021 Elkins High School girls basketball team. Front row, from left to right, Lauren D'Angelo, Bethany Bennett, Aaliyah Hogue and Niya Nutter; back row, Hannah Davis, Laney Fletcher, Gracelin Corley, Emerson Haddix, Anna Belan, Alexa Triplett, Celia Ricottilli and Autumn Lane.
Elkins head coach Matt Davis gives his team instruction in a contest against Philip Barbour from the 2019-20 season. The Lady Tigers open the 2021 campaign March 3 at Preston.
Anna Belan navigates through the Fairmont Senior defense during a game from last season. Belan, a junior guard, is the top returning scorer for the Lady Tigers.
The Inter-Mountain file photo
Elkins High School sophomore Autumn Lane dribbles between a pair of Pocahontas County defenders last season.
ELKINS -- A young Elkins High School girls basketball team will take to the court this season, and head coach Matt Davis acknowledges it will be a work in progress with his squad.
"Nine of the players we have are sophomores and freshmen," said Davis, entering his sixth season at the helm. "And with the shortened season we have to simplify things and not make things complicated in regards to offensive and defensive sets.
"We are very fortunate to have girls with high basketball IQs and that will be a big plus for us."
The Lady Tigers lost three seniors from last year's squad, including all-Big 10 Conference second-team selection and all-state honorable mention choice, Madison Holland.
Experience does return in junior guard Anna Belan, and Davis is going to count on her to lead the squad.
Belan is the top returing scorer as she averaged 9.4 points per game last season.
"Anna is a good team leader that works hard," he said. "She's very athletic and knows what to do on the court."
Juniors Alexa Triplett and Aaliyah Hogue and sophomores Celia Ricottilli, Hannah Davis, Autumn Lane and Niya Nutter also return with varsity and junior varsity experience.
Bethany Bennett, who has not played since her freshman year, is the lone senior on the team.
"We have some girls that can hit from the 3-point line," Coach Davis said. "We just need to get the ball into their hands.
"We also need to use our quickness and size to our advantage."
Davis is very high on his incoming freshmen class and gives a lot of credit to Elkins Middle School head coach Clint Bennett and his program.
"We have a great feeder school with EMS," Davis said. "The girls that we have coming to the high school level have been well coached in the fundamentals of the game."
Davis expects this year's group of freshmen to make an immediate impact.
The group of newcomers include Emerson Haddix, Gracelin Corley, Laney Fletcher and Lauren D'Angelo.
All four were members of last year's Lady Hornet squad, which went 15-5 and captured the postseason East Fairmont tournament.
The Lady Tigers will play their traditional Big 10 Conference schedule against the likes of state title contenders North Marion, Fairmont Senior and Lincoln.
But Davis stressed the league is more than just those squads.
"There are no easy games in the Big 10," he said. "I've always said it's the toughest conference in the state.
"Playing a tough schedule will be a challenge for our inexperienced team. But we are going to do our best to develop our skills and have some fun at the same time. We want to be competitive every time we step on the court.
"Everybody is in the same boat this year with the pandemic. We just have to adjust and try to get better each game."
Beginning this basketball season, there will be four classifications in place -- Class AAAA, AAA, AA and A.
Elkins will compete in triple-A.
The Lady Tigers will be in Class AAA, Region II, Section 2, alongside Lewis County, Robert C. Byrd, Lincoln and Liberty-Harrison.
Class AAA, Region II, Section 1 includes Fairmont Senior, East Fairmont, Grafton and Notre Dame.
Elkins begins the season March 3 at Preston.