The Scribe
11-26-2006, 10:49 AM
16th Region
By Russ Carter
Special to Bluegrasspreps.com
1. Rose Hill Christian (27-8) rode the clutch play of Emily Queen and Laura Terry to the school’s first 16th Region title and were one win away from winning a state championship.
With the return of Queen and Terry, the Lady Royals are the pick to become the first team to repeat as region champs since West Carter made their legendary run from 1998-2002.
Despite the experience Rose Hill returns, there are still several schools that will be gunning for them and have a legitimate shot at dethroning the Lady Royals.
For Rose Hill, they need another solid campaign from their top two players.
The six-foot Queen, who has committed to Middle Tennessee State, averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds as a junior, while fellow six-footer Terry, who has verbaled to Louisville, added 18 points, seven rebounds, and shot 64-percent from the field.
Without a doubt, Rose Hill features the best 1-2 combo in the region, but will need some help on the perimeter.
Kala Faulkner and her 21 points a game is now at Louisville, where she has walked on to the Lady Cardinal squad.
Senior Britt Faulkner (5.2 ppg., 4.7 rpg.) steps into her sister’s role of running the offense and will need to improve her shooting (33% FG, 41% FT) in order to become a consistent offensive threat.
After that, it gets murky for Pam Euton’s squad, who only return 31 points from the remaining players.
Junior Alison Hamilton, sophomore Leah Terry, and senior Lindsay Adkins should help a little in the depth department.
2. Rowan County (12-18) got hot at the right time, winning the 61st District title and advancing to the region title game before falling to Rose Hill 61-49.
Head coach Troy Lee Thomas has everyone back from last year and had added some new players to the mix.
Senior forward Megan Hughes is only 5-4 but pulled down nearly eight rebounds a game last year for the Lady Vikings, who also welcome back Nicole Barr and Cassidi Spurlock.
Like Rose Hill, Rowan will need to develop some depth as the season wears on if they are to advance to the Sweet 16.
3. Russell (22-6) is another team poised to knock Rose Hill off the regional mountain and win their first region title since 1994.
6-1 guard Jessica Fortman, who has committed to Buffalo, returns for the Lady Devils after scoring 18 points a game and shooting 56-percent from the field and 70-percent from the line.
Fortman’s ability to play inside or outside will help head coach Merle Kidwell early in the season as he tries to build depth.
Six-foot senior Chinwe Okoro was the team’s leading rebounder (8.7 rpg.) and shot 64-percent from the field. Okoro is a state champion shot putter who will be attending Louisville on a track scholarship.
Marissa Adkins and Kelsey Simpson will try and pick up some of the load lost with the graduation of Christen Daniels.
4. Raceland (14-14) also features a D-1 signee with 5-8 forward Whitney Seals giving a verbal commitment to Belmont.
Seals averaged 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds and holds the school record for steals in a season. If she stays healthy, she should become the school’s all-time leading scorer this year.
Sharpshooter Paige Porter tied a school record with seven 3-pointers in a game last year, but the key could be how well Rachel Vanderhoof returns from a season-ending knee injury. The sophomore post player was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder before she was injured in late December.
5. West Carter (21-9) coasted to the 62nd Region title but endured some tough luck along the way.
Sisters Charla and Kristen Burchett both suffered season-ending ACL injuries three weeks apart in January and February. The sisters had combined to average 16.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and four assists a game before the injuries.
Charla Burchett was the team's leading shooter, hitting 56 percent from the field while Kristin Burchett shot 43 percent from 3-point range.
The return of the Burchetts, combined with 5-8 senior Erica Webb in the post, should help the Lady Comets overcome the loss of Brandi Rayburn and Audra Perry to graduation.
Top Players
1. Emily Queen (Rose Hill)
2. Laura Terry (Rose Hill)
3. Jessica Fortman (Russell)
4. Whitney Seals (Raceland)
5. Chinwe Okoro (Russell)
6. Erica Webb (West Carter)
7. Megan Hughes (Rowan County)
8. Rachel Vanderhoof (Raceland)
9. Tawnee Tackett (East Carter)
10. Charla Burchett (West Carter)
By Russ Carter
Special to Bluegrasspreps.com
1. Rose Hill Christian (27-8) rode the clutch play of Emily Queen and Laura Terry to the school’s first 16th Region title and were one win away from winning a state championship.
With the return of Queen and Terry, the Lady Royals are the pick to become the first team to repeat as region champs since West Carter made their legendary run from 1998-2002.
Despite the experience Rose Hill returns, there are still several schools that will be gunning for them and have a legitimate shot at dethroning the Lady Royals.
For Rose Hill, they need another solid campaign from their top two players.
The six-foot Queen, who has committed to Middle Tennessee State, averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds as a junior, while fellow six-footer Terry, who has verbaled to Louisville, added 18 points, seven rebounds, and shot 64-percent from the field.
Without a doubt, Rose Hill features the best 1-2 combo in the region, but will need some help on the perimeter.
Kala Faulkner and her 21 points a game is now at Louisville, where she has walked on to the Lady Cardinal squad.
Senior Britt Faulkner (5.2 ppg., 4.7 rpg.) steps into her sister’s role of running the offense and will need to improve her shooting (33% FG, 41% FT) in order to become a consistent offensive threat.
After that, it gets murky for Pam Euton’s squad, who only return 31 points from the remaining players.
Junior Alison Hamilton, sophomore Leah Terry, and senior Lindsay Adkins should help a little in the depth department.
2. Rowan County (12-18) got hot at the right time, winning the 61st District title and advancing to the region title game before falling to Rose Hill 61-49.
Head coach Troy Lee Thomas has everyone back from last year and had added some new players to the mix.
Senior forward Megan Hughes is only 5-4 but pulled down nearly eight rebounds a game last year for the Lady Vikings, who also welcome back Nicole Barr and Cassidi Spurlock.
Like Rose Hill, Rowan will need to develop some depth as the season wears on if they are to advance to the Sweet 16.
3. Russell (22-6) is another team poised to knock Rose Hill off the regional mountain and win their first region title since 1994.
6-1 guard Jessica Fortman, who has committed to Buffalo, returns for the Lady Devils after scoring 18 points a game and shooting 56-percent from the field and 70-percent from the line.
Fortman’s ability to play inside or outside will help head coach Merle Kidwell early in the season as he tries to build depth.
Six-foot senior Chinwe Okoro was the team’s leading rebounder (8.7 rpg.) and shot 64-percent from the field. Okoro is a state champion shot putter who will be attending Louisville on a track scholarship.
Marissa Adkins and Kelsey Simpson will try and pick up some of the load lost with the graduation of Christen Daniels.
4. Raceland (14-14) also features a D-1 signee with 5-8 forward Whitney Seals giving a verbal commitment to Belmont.
Seals averaged 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds and holds the school record for steals in a season. If she stays healthy, she should become the school’s all-time leading scorer this year.
Sharpshooter Paige Porter tied a school record with seven 3-pointers in a game last year, but the key could be how well Rachel Vanderhoof returns from a season-ending knee injury. The sophomore post player was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder before she was injured in late December.
5. West Carter (21-9) coasted to the 62nd Region title but endured some tough luck along the way.
Sisters Charla and Kristen Burchett both suffered season-ending ACL injuries three weeks apart in January and February. The sisters had combined to average 16.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and four assists a game before the injuries.
Charla Burchett was the team's leading shooter, hitting 56 percent from the field while Kristin Burchett shot 43 percent from 3-point range.
The return of the Burchetts, combined with 5-8 senior Erica Webb in the post, should help the Lady Comets overcome the loss of Brandi Rayburn and Audra Perry to graduation.
Top Players
1. Emily Queen (Rose Hill)
2. Laura Terry (Rose Hill)
3. Jessica Fortman (Russell)
4. Whitney Seals (Raceland)
5. Chinwe Okoro (Russell)
6. Erica Webb (West Carter)
7. Megan Hughes (Rowan County)
8. Rachel Vanderhoof (Raceland)
9. Tawnee Tackett (East Carter)
10. Charla Burchett (West Carter)