Lady Lions relying on large junior class

During the summer, when high school basketball teams are allowed to play organized games for a period of time, it didn’t take Briarwood Christian School girls basketball coach Lorie Kerley long to recognize what was different.

“One of the first things we felt this summer was her defensive presence, we miss that,” Kerley said.

Kerley was speaking of Marylane Graham, Briarwood’s defense-first point guard regularly tasked with making the opposing team’s top player miserable on offense. Graham was one of three seniors for the Lady Lions last year, along with Jalen Hunter and Holly Hancock.

Graham’s role is one that Kerley will have to find a suitable replacement, and she believes she may have one in junior Anna Martin.

“She’s going to be able to step in and give us a little bit of what Marylane gave us last year,” Kerley said.

Kerley took over as head coach of the Lady Lions program last year following the passing of longtime coach Jim Brown, who Kerley said she still misses. In her first year leading the way, Briarwood finished with a 13-10 record and advanced to the regional tournament.

The regional tournament game didn’t go as planned, with Briarwood running into a dominant Charles Henderson team and falling 55-12. But the experience should pay dividends moving into this season.

“As bad as the game was, it was great for them to get a little taste of what it’s like to go that far,” Kerley said. “They all want to go back. It’s just made the area play and the area tournament that much more important to them.”

This year’s team has just one senior in Alex Smith. Smith has been known for being a strong defensive player, but Kerley said she has added some offensive touch to her game, notably the ability to finish around the rim.

The Lady Lions are loaded in the junior class, with seven 11th-graders. Kerley mentioned Maddie Vaughn, Caroline Mays and Emily Scott as three key players who will lead the charge. Scott and Mays are the team’s captains.

“Emily’s just fierce. She’s really tough. Caroline kind of gives us stability on the court. She’s a great communicator and is a really good rebounder. She does little things well,” Kerley said.

Martin is also a junior, along with Bennett Shaw and Maggie Flemming. Claire Lehane, Abby Johnson and Kate Saunders are sophomores. Saunders started much of last season as a freshman.

Another thing that helps is despite it only being Kerley’s second year as the varsity head coach, most of the players on the team have been coached by Kerley since seventh grade.

Kerley said two things the Lady Lions focused on throughout the summer and preseason were outside shooting and handling pressure defense.

“We’ve got to buckle down and get tougher on the basketball and stronger with the ball in our hands,” she said. “We had some really good competition in the summer that helped prepare us for it.”

This winter, Briarwood plays teams including Locust Fork, Benjamin Russell, Altamont (twice), Calera, Sylacauga and in Winfield’s tournament in the month of December. The Lady Lions play in Class 5A, Area 8 with John Carroll, Ramsay and Woodlawn.