by Rusty Ellis
Red Boiling Springs Lady Bulldogs
No team embodied just how tough their district was in the 2022-23 season better than the Red Boiling Springs Lady Bulldogs. A team that on-court passed the eye test and had star players in Claire Fleming and Bre Thompson would’ve likely won any other Class A District.
As things stood in 7-A, they finished in fourth place overall with a 3-5 mark in district play and an 18-14 record overall. They came within a game of substate, falling to Pickett County in the region semifinals.
For first-year head coach Terra Allen, there was plenty to reflect on from the season, starting with a schedule that she says pushed her team to the limit, physically.
“I think I put my team through the ringer, especially right before district play started up,” Allen said. “We went to White County and played White County, East Nashville and Warren County, and then we went to Allen County and played three Kentucky schools and Westmoreland…I almost feel like I got us in a little too deep, but I was just excited by the talent I had. I saw it like if we could hang with these schools, we would take care of business in the district.”
Now with the new season approaching, Allen says she’s had to adapt quite a bit to replacing one of the program’s all-time best players in Fleming and another talented senior in Thompson, but she’s very optimistic about the talent she’s returning.
“When we first went to camp in June, we had a lot to figure out,” Allen said. “We really struggled at first, but we started to get them buying in…right now, I like what I have as a team because I feel like my girls are playing more as a team. We’ve got more of a mentality of ‘hey, we all have to (contribute).'”
The returning players include seniors Bailey Massengille and Josie Green, juniors Chloe Powell and De Polk, as well as incoming freshman Sidney Massengille.
“Bailey’s a senior who’s started and she’s a lockdown defender and my point guard,” Allen said. “Josie Green is a great shooter, and I can play her back in a zone and she can play in the paint. Chloe can really shoot the ball, but this summer, she went from being just a shooter to scoring around the rim and in the midrange. She’s tough to guard when she’s scoring like that…De Polk didn’t start, but I should’ve played her more. She’s playing in the post for me right now, and she’ll be one of our best scorers each night. Sidney is my fifth starter, and I’m really excited to see what she does.”
Allen goes on to add that once the middle school season wraps up, she’ll add a group of eighth graders to the team.
It’s a unit headlined by Zoe McDuffee, someone Allen says can make an immediate impact when she joins the Lady Bulldogs.
“She’ll step in as a eighth grader and play significant minutes,” Allen said. “I took her with us to a camp at Lindsey Wilson this summer when Bailey wasn’t with us, and Zoe ran the show for us and I was very impressed with her. She could probably start for us right now, but I want to give her this junior high season to develop and then move her up once it ends.”
One look at District 7-A this season shows that Allen will need all hands on deck, because while Pickett County is the preseason number one team for a reason, spots two through five will be up for grabs.
Allen believes it’ll be a challenge, but she sees no reason why her team couldn’t challenge for the second seed in the league.
“I do feel that way, and I felt that way watching some of the other teams over the summer,” Allen said. “As far as second-place, I think it’s as open as it could be, and I feel like we might have a better chance at competing for that spot this year than we did last year. Just because of what other teams are replacing too, Clay and Clarkrange will be tough still.”
And make no mistake, that two-seed is right near the top of the Lady Bulldogs’ goals for the season.
“I feel like if we come out and handle business, second-place is very doable,” Allen said. “Obviously, we’re shooting for first-place, but Pickett’s going to be tough. We really feel like we can compete and set ourselves up in a good spot come tournament time.”
Red Boiling Springs Bulldogs
A 5-24 season in 2022-23 led to a coaching change for the RBS Bulldogs, as they will be helmed by Dustin McKinney for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.
And so far, McKinney says he’s relatively encouraged by what he’s seen from his team despite an early injury to one of his key players.
“I feel pretty good, especially because we’ve got everybody returning,” McKinney said. “Aubrey Link was our starting center, and he’s going to miss some time with an injury. We’re hoping to get him back after Christmas, but we bring back an experience squad with seven seniors on the roster.”
One look at the team on-court last year would have anyone scratching their heads, as good size and athleticism one through five should’ve translate to more than just five wins.
And the players have taken it upon themselves to improve on that number in the new year.
“They really do have a chip on their shoulder,” McKinney said. “We talk a lot about consistency, they went to Pickett last year and won pretty handily and then lost by 20 the next night…They want to be more consistent, and they’re buying in. We went to a Sunbright play-day last weekend and won both of our varsity games, the biggest thing is just learning how to win.”
Amongst the returners are All-District First-Teamer Colton Copass and point guard Chris Hackney, two players that McKinney says will be key in any success the Bulldogs have.
“Colton averaged about 15 points a game last year, and I think he can do more this year,” McKinney said. “He’s worked on his body and he’s finishing around the rim with more consistency…I don’t think Chris was able to get into a good flow, and so far with the summer and our play-days, he’s looked really good running our offense.”
As far as McKinney’s expectations go, he thinks there’s a real chance for this team to compete in a district with no clear-cut favorite.
“We were picked fourth in the preseason poll and I told the guys that this district is basically a toss-up,” McKinney said. “One through five, you’re going to get tough challenges every night…it’s going to come down to who plays well down the stretch, it’s really that wide-open. It’ll be a fun district to watch because of that.”
When it comes down to what would make this season a success for RBS, McKinney is keeping it simple for his players.
“You’ve got to get in there and just give yourself a chance, especially as wide-open as the district is,” McKinney said. “The region’s really tough as well…it’s really just giving yourself a chance. When you’ve got seniors on the floor like we’ll have, you have to feel good about your chances.”