A recap of prep girls hoops playdays by Gameday Weekly:
A good season in 2024/25 with optimism to continue into 2025/26:
GDW Analysis:
Local girls basketball in 2024/25 was very good for those involved with the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA).
Good Hope Lady Raiders claimed 2nd best in Class 4A, Cold Springs Lady Eagles and Holly Pond Lady Broncos earned a berth into the 2A and 3A regional finals.
West Point Lady Warriors and Cullman Lady Bearcats were a Sweet 16 qualifier in 5A and 6A play.
St. Bernard Lady Saints and Vinemont Lady Eagles had a good season that carried them to the sub regional round for Class 1A and 3A.
Now these ball clubs are setting their sights on the 2025/26 campaign.
Most of them just finished three weeks of playdays the AHSAA allows for the month of June.
Gameday Weekly was able to see seven locals engage competition from various playday sites.
The analysis is based on performances with each team getting a good look by GDW several times.
Cold Springs:
Paige Adams is now leading the Lady Eagles.
Adams has been on the staff as an assistant for several years and the squad is well aware of what she brings to the floor in the role of a leader.
Ella Dickerson has worked hard following ACL surgery and will be counted on to provide the team a solid scorer.
Other experienced personnel include SG Paizley Whitlow, G Maci Huffstutler, F Hollyn Bruer and C Kaydance Williams.
Kyleigh Graves and Hagen Ellis enter their freshman season to provide depth to a team that looks to repeat as the best in 2A, Area 11 and make another run for a trip to the Northwest Regional at Wallace State.
The Lady Eagles are is made up with them, Falkville and Winston County. Falkville is now coached by former Cold Springs standout Bailey Boland.
Cullman:
The big news for Cullman was getting Tammy West to come to town after a great 33 years of coaching Cold Springs High School.
Her first season will be the quest of the squad returning to the 6A Sweet 16.
Cullman's strength is the frontline play of center Molly Wilson and forwards Molly Dorough and Rachel Hoffman.
West is working with the backcourt on understanding their role and develop a pattern in scoring to assist Wilson, Dorough and Hoffman.
Kadence Hanback gives the team a three point shooter while the point guard will be divided between freshman Ava Adams and sophomore Zoe Snider.
Cullman was 2nd in 6A, Area 13 last season to Mortimer Jordan. The other team West will see in a challenge will be Jasper.
Fairview:
Coming on strong in the final week, Fairview went 7 & 0 in victories during playdays at Jacksonville State, Danville and Holly Pond.
Chris Nichols will bring experience in his 3rd year with the Lady Aggies from their leading scorer, SG Whitney Quick, who will get support from PG Darby Nichols, WG Davi Stidham and F Kailyn Redding. Quick has a good outside stroke with Stidham displaying an all out effort and Redding being sound on the frontline.
Fairview posted a winning mark last year as they are up against a solid cast of opponents in 5A, Area 14 from defending state champion Scottsboro to regional finalist Arab and a stout group from Guntersville.
Good Hope:
No longer with the Lady Raiders is 4A player of the year Ava McSwain or hard working post player Jolee McHan.
Justin Aby enters 2025/26 having experience with PG Ella Gossett in her 2nd year as a starter. She is joined by SG Lexi Marshall, WF Sophie Konrad, F Lucie Adams and SG Zoe Gibbs.
More depth will be provided as Ella Davis has transferred to Good Hope from St. Bernard Prep. The SG is sound for being productive in penetration and connecting from the perimeter.
Good Hope remains in Area 13 of 4A and will face Danville, East Lawrence and West Morgan for the grand prize.
Holly Pond:
Last season the Lady Broncos put together a season that got them within one game of a trip to the AHSAA Final Four in 3A.
For the summer, Mary Hartline has had to see the club work without F Ava Thomas. Thomas suffered a knee injury in February in the regional final and is continuing on her way to recovery.
Point guard Madison Butts shows what she can do in ball handling and scoring. Maggie Nail provides from a wing position and Sadie Nail is a 5'11" center and just a freshman.
Youth will be served by the rest of the squad with three becoming a freshman and three in their sophomore season.
It's a 5 team 3A, Area 11 for Holly Pond in battling with Hanceville, Vinemont, JB Pennington and Hanceville.
Vinemont:
Vinemont raised the level last season for a school record 22 wins, the 3A, Area 11 regular season title and 2nd seed in Cullman County regular season play.
Second year coach Emily Willoughby lost two key people in SG Morgan Flanagan and C Carley Stephens to graduation.
The Lady Eagles do bring back starters Reagan Robinson at PG, Caroline Miller at SG, Vayda Yarbrough as a WF.
Addison Holcomb has moved from a quality reserve player to a starter at forward.
Depth is what Vinemont worked on in the playday series.
A 55 to 54 victory over 3A power Mars Hill at the UNA playday was a boost for this team to maintain confidence in going for a 4th consecutive winning season next year.
Vinemont was the 3A, Area 11 regular season winner at 7 & 1. They are locked up with Holly Pond, Hanceville, JB Pennington and Locust Fork in area play.
West Point:
All starters come back for John Welborn in 2025/26 following a fine time on the hardwood that produced 24 wins, an area and sub regional title and trip to the 5A Sweet 16.
The guard play consists of the Faulkner sisters, Jaelyn and Camryn while Kaitlee Simmons is on the opposite of these two.
Forward Kealie Harbison provides scoring and hustle with the inside handled by junior to be Laklin Shadix.
The depth is displayed by SG Patton Fell, F Kenadi Pagan, C Mary Beth Penn and SG Chloe Hale.
West Point seeks consistency in the role of scoring and ball handling. They are the only county squad that has the entire starting lineup back intact.
West Point has achieved better than 20 wins in a season with Welborn six times.
They have claimed an area championship in the past three years over Lawrence County and Russellville.
Triple threats for each team:
Cold Springs: Ella Dickerson, Maci Huffstutler, Paizley Whitlow.
Cullman: Molly Wilson, Rachel Hoffman, Molly Dorough.
Fairview: Whitney Quick, Davi Stidham, Kailynn Redding.
Good Hope: Sophie Konrad, Lucie Adams, Ella Gossett, Lexi Marshall.
Holly Pond: Madison Butts, Maggie Nail, Sadie Nail. Vinemont: Reagan Robinson, Caroline Miller, Vayda Yarbrough, Addison Holcomb.
West Point: Jaelyn Faulkner, Camryn Faulkner, Laklin Shadix.
This is based on performances seen by GDW during the playday schedule from June 5 to June 20.
Photo of Vinemont coach Emily Willoughby (left) and Paige Adams before a playday game at West Point June 12.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton
