Caldwell County’s girls finished their offseason basketball schedule with a home scrimmage against Webster County Tuesday morning.
However, three Lady Tigers still have basketball games to play this summer.
Emily Meeks and Casey Stone have both been chosen for the West Kentucky Junior All-Stars while Jayme Jackson will play in the AAU National Tournament with the Kentucky Blast.
The Junior All-Stars will take on an Indiana Junior All-Star Team on Saturday, July 12, at Hopkins County Central High School. The girls teams will play at 6 p.m., with a boys all-star game to follow.
Meeks will be a junior in the upcoming school year; however, Stone made the team despite being just a sophomore in 2008-09. The two 6-footers will help bolster the inside game for the all-star squad, which is coached by Eric Peyton, an assistant coach at Madisonville-North Hopkins.
Other players on the team include Heidi Clayton, Kenyatta Drake, Tayla Foster and Lyndi Tedder of Madisonville, Amber Coakley and Hannah Murphy of Hopkins Central, Jessica Hobson of Hopkinsville and Lynette Harris, Kerstin Hayes and Stephanie Househoulder of Webster County.
“That’s a great opportunity for Emily and Casey because a lot of coaches will be able to take a look at them,” said Lady Tiger head coach Stephanie Crick. “A lot of players have gotten scholarships that way.”
Meanwhile, Jackson will play with the Bowling Green-based Blast in Orlando, Fla., July 9-15 at AAU Nationals.
“That’s been a great experience for Jayme, as much as they’ve traveled and the great competition they’ve faced,” said Crick. “Jayme’s seen a lot of top players.
“She knows she still has to put in a lot of hard work, but she’s capable of playing at the next level. I think that’s something she’s set her sights on.”
Tuesday’s scrimmage against Webster was close for about a half before the Lady Trojans opened up a 12-point lead at halftime. Webster, which figures to field a strong team in ’08-09, pulled away against a tiring Caldwell squad in the second half.
“Webster’s much improved. I expect them to be one of the top two teams in the region next year,” said Crick. “I also expect us to be competitive with them by the regional tournament next year.
“We’ve worked really hard this summer and I’m proud of my girls,” she added. “I keep telling them this is a process we have to work through. If we keep working hard the wins are going to come.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement. They’re starting to do things the way I want them done. When the season comes we’ll be a long way ahead of last year. We’ll immediately be able to work on polishing our offense and defense.”
Crick didn’t have a chance to work with the team last summer. She wasn’t hired until late July after Josh Barnett left for Paducah Tilghman. The team got off to a slow start last year while trying to learn a new system and finished 10-16.
However, Caldwell’s girls figure to be one of the up-and-coming teams in the region despite entering 2008-09 without any seniors on the roster.
“We haven’t played a cake schedule this summer either,” noted Crick. “We’ve played some tough teams and we’ve practiced against some college players.”
The Lady Tigers went just 2-7 in camp at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., last week, but again, Crick said the competition was fierce.
“We played some of the top teams from that area of Tennessee,” she noted. “I could see improvement from day one to day three at camp.”
Caldwell’s wins came against Chattanooga Christian and Muhlenberg North. Crick noted that Muhlenberg North has been added to the Lady Tiger schedule for the upcoming season.
Caldwell’s girls also figure to be deeper in 2008-09. Chelsea Miller, a former transfer from Lyon County, will be a junior guard this season. Cassie Yates, a transfer from Hopkins Central, will be a freshman forward.
Once school starts, basketball practice officially begins Oct. 15.
