Lady Bulldogs ready to pressure opponents this season

A season ago, the Belgreen Lady Bulldogs found themselves ahead of Decatur Heritage in the first quarter of the regional semifinal game at Wallace State Community College.

While things ultimately didn’t pan out as Belgreen’s season came to an end there, the trip to the postseason provided some critical experience for the next wave of players for head coach Chad Green’s team.

Belgreen did lose Dacota Green to graduation, but returning starters such as seniors Bryn Scott, who has been a staple in the Lady Bulldogs lineup since her eighth-grade season, and Makenna Fisher will look to repeat and possibly build on last year’s success.

“We’ve got six seniors coming back this year and they really do have a lot of experience,” Green said. “We had a good season last year, but we just ran into a bit of a buzzsaw when we got matched up with Decatur Heritage. That’s just one of those things that happens, but it gave our girls some great experience to work with.”

Belgreen also returns junior Lilliana Willingham, who scored eight points in last year’s loss to Decatur Heritage. She will be expected to take on more of the offensive duties this season.

Looking ahead to this season, Green said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen so far during practice and over the summer. Things that have stood out for him are the ability to run the court with any team and the defensive execution.

“I feel we do a good job of putting pressure on the opposing team, and we do a good job of getting out in transition on both offense and defense,” Green said. “But I think the main weakness we’re going to encounter is going to be playing half-court offense and finding ways to rebound the basketball.”

The Lady Bulldogs play in a three-team area consisting of Covenant Christian and county rival Tharptown.

Green said while that may make for an easier path to a subregional game, his players will still have to play up to their own standards if they want to see success.

“Those are two good teams, and nothing is a given,” Green said. “We just have to play our brand of basketball to do what we do best and things will take care of themselves.”