Last year was a solid season for the Meadow Bridge girls basketball team under veteran head coach Steven Taylor.
The Wildcats were 13-11 and spent time during the season inside the top-10 in Class A.
A trip to the regional co-final round was also part of the banner year and Taylor is convinced his team can get to that level once again.
“We will need to find some depth as the year goes along. If we can do that, hopefully we can be in the same spot with a chance against (Greenbrier) West and River View,” Taylor said. “We are small, but we take a lot of pride in our basketball program. We put a lot of time and effort into it. A lot of heritage and a lot of pride here at Meadow Bridge.”
The biggest exits due to graduation were Charity Reichard and Sierra Simmons who had been stalwarts for the Wildcats during their career.
Reichard was described by Taylor as a coach on the floor, while Simmons was noted a solid defender over career.
The 2024-25 Meadow Bridge squad will be guided by senior multi-sport standout Kierston Rozell who averaged 12.4 points per game a year ago.
“Kierston is a great kid and a great student. She has had a really good run and will be expected to kind of do it all for us. She was hurt early in the season last year, but she is still a couple of hundred points from get 1,000 points for her career,” Taylor said. “She can jump, run and shoot. She is just a special player that plays out front for us. Defensively she is tall and has long arms. In our 1-3-1, she is really good. Kierston will be playing all spots for us.”
Senior Kaitlin Cooper was a strong rebounder last year, while Lily Hayes averaged almost eight points per game, along with four rebounds and three assists in a reserve role.
“Lily is a junior that came off of the bench for us and she preferred that, but she was like a starter for us. We will slide her back into the point,” Taylor said. “Kaitlin started at the post last year and has been a 3-year starter. She will man the post and we will expect a little more production from her scoring inside.”
Senior Riley Roberts also returns and is a versatile player that can play inside and out. Roberts can score, rebound and was second on the team in steals last year.
Taylor has a solid group of sophomores that will see action and hopefully provide the depth that Meadow Bridge will need to be successful.
“You will hear about Laycee Conway more as the year goes along. She will come off the bench to spell Kaitlin Cooper. She is 6-foot tall, and a low block player that we need to score,” Taylor said. “Asiya Gray and Kyndal Gilkeson will add depth at the wing.”
Junior Mackenzie Phillips will come off the bench as a guard and Taylor has also been impressed with the progress of fellow-junior Keira Hanshew who is another versatile player for the Wildcats.
Meadow Bridge opens the season at home against Liberty, Dec. 5.
