Years of rebuilding has prepared the Livingston Academy Lady Wildcats for the 2021-2022 season as they appear poised for a strong year.
The Lady Wildcats return four starters from a 2020-2021 team that won 20 games.
“We’re a little ahead of where we’ve been the past few years because we’ve got four returning starters and actually got to go to camp,” said LA head coach Leslie Riddle.
Allie Qualls and Keaton Webb are each entering their senior seasons as four-year starters. Riddle said they are comfortable with their roles on the team.
“They lived through the struggles of the rebuilding years, so they’re pretty comfortable knowing they’ll have to do a lot of the ball handling and defensive work,” said Riddle.
The Lady Wildcats also return their leading scorer and one of the top players in the Upper Cumberland in Aleah Melton. Riddle said Melton has particularly developed in the mental side of the game.
“I think her biggest growth has been mentally over the last calendar year,” said Riddle. “She’s really become a lot tougher and able to bounce back from adversity on the floor… she’s grown up quite a bit mentally.”
Alexis Phipps rounds out the four returning starters as the Lady Wildcats prepare for play in a new district full of familiar, and some new, faces. District 7/3A features Upperman, Macon County, DeKalb County, White County, Stone Memorial and Cumberland County.
“We’re always in the best district,” said Riddle. “But it did get tougher. You add White County, Stone Memorial and Crossville. It doesn’t get easier. It gets much harder.”
The Lady Wildcats have shown constant improvement in recent seasons, winning nine games in the 2018-2019 season, 14 in the 2019-2020 season and 20 in the 2020-2021 season. Now, outside expectations are high for the team. Riddle said they have high expectations for themselves, and that’s how they approach practice.
“We’ve been through the low years of getting our teeth kicked in and we know we’ve grown quite a bit,” said Riddle. “We’re in a situation where we should be better. Our schedule got tougher if anything, we know every night can go either way, but …. I think my expectations are showing in practice every day with the intensity level and the demand is a lot higher. I think the girls expect to be better.”
Riddle said she is pleased with how her team has responded to the added intensity.
“I think they’re holding each other accountable,” said Riddle. “With four seniors returning, they really want to do well. They’ve got high expectations for themselves. They’re expecting that of their teammates as well.”
The Lady Wildcats will open the season on Tuesday when they travel to take on Lipscomb Academy.