Starting with a preseason rank of sixth in 4A, the Catawba Ridge Copperheads girls’ basketball team have a lot of talent coming back, but also has a lot of unknown in front of them as well.
The Catawba Ridge girls have a new head coach this year in Sheridan Pressley, as former head coach Kate Edwards took an administrative position at Nation Ford over the summer. A former college basketball player at Queens University, Pressley said the team is young and doesn’t have any seniors, but is filled with talent.
“We are pretty talented skill wise,” she said. “We are working hard and learning to be a team. We are working on everybody buying into a new culture.”
Catawba Ridge has three juniors to go with a sophomore and six freshmen on the varsity team. Two of those juniors are Tatum Postel and Brielle Windisch, who contributed a lot last year.
“All 10 girls have really bought in,” Pressley said. “We have some good freshmen. We are excited to see what they can do.”
Two freshmen that might be counted on to produce a lot are Makailah Davis and Skyla Tuthill. Tuthill played on the Cardinal Newman basketball team as an eighth grader last year and averaged seven points a game in helping to lead them to the SCISA 3A state championship.
“Skyla is a great kid and works hard,” Pressley said. “She is very skilled. She also puts in the time, work and effort to be that way.”
The preseason ranking doesn’t put the pressure on Pressley that it might given the newness of things to her taking over the program that went 14-3 last season.
“I don’t fee any pressure now,” she said. “Right now, we are trying to learn a new culture and buying in to a new program. With that, we are young and there comes some growing pains. We are just trying to learn each other and get better every day.”
The Copperheads open their season next week in the girl’s bracket of the Milltown Classic at Nation Ford.
Boys
The Catawba Ridge boys’ team is coming off a 7-8 overall record in a shortened COVID season last year.
This year the Copperheads return a lot of experience from their first two seasons and will have three seniors on this year’s team to go with seven juniors, two sophomores and a freshman.
“We are in a good place,” said Copperheads’ head coach Brett Childers. “This is the first time in three years we got some veterans. The experience has really shown itself.”
Catawba Ridge was picked to finish second in Region 3-4A behind defending 4A state champions South Pointe.
“We look forward to the challenge,” Childers said. “We know what is ahead with them.”
Childers said the team had a really good preseason. He is expecting the elder statesmen of the team to lead the way in players like Grant Lovette and Carter Hendrick.
“It starts with Grant,” Childers said. “And we look for Carter to take another step forward as well.”
Childers said the team also has size in players like Hendrick and Tyler France, who is also back this year.
Catawba Ridge will host the boys’ side of the Milltown Classic which starts next week.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
