Lady Eagles moving past last year’s bitter ending
Whenever the shot comes up in conversation, a collective groan emanates.
The Oak Mountain High School girls basketball team hates reliving that moment when its season ended unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye.
The Lady Eagles’ 2018-19 campaign was abruptly halted in the Class 7A, Area 5 tournament in February when Tuscaloosa County drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner to beat Oak Mountain and advance to the regional tournament.
“It was so sad, it was awful,” Oak Mountain head coach Beth Parmer said. “It still bothers them. It bothers me.”
As much as the returning players despise talking about it, they are far enough removed from it now that the painful moment can be used as a learning experience and a driving force entering this season.
“If you learn anything from a loss, that’s what I’m hoping that does for them,” Parmer said.
Oak Mountain put together a solid season last winter, finishing with a 15-13 overall record. The Lady Eagles lost consecutive games just twice, a two-game skid in November and a streak of four straight losses at the beginning of area play. However, the team rebounded to win its final two area games and four in a row overall heading into the area tournament.
The Lady Eagles have promising pieces returning this year, but many will be asked to take on bigger roles than they have before. The team’s starting backcourt of Emily Cruce and leading scorer Kailey Rory (a second-team All-South Metro selection) graduated, along with Clara Fuller and Adair Klapow.
“I’ve got some question marks, because they’ve not had to be in that role before,” Parmer said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how they respond. My first inclination is that they will respond well.”
As far as ball-handling goes, junior Riley Sullivan will be asked to do much more of that, with the likes of senior Abi Brown, junior Julia Tucker and sophomore Abby Gordon among those able to help out as well. Parmer said she knows teams will pressure the Lady Eagles and being able to handle that will be important.
The scoring load that Rory leaves behind (15.6 points per game) is not something one player will be able to pick up, either.
“I’ll be looking for some people to step up in that capacity and supply some scoring to make up for the fact of losing Kailey,” Parmer said. “I’m really wanting us to focus on if we can get everybody involved.”
Brown is one of four seniors on this year’s team, along with All-South Metro second-team performer Hannah Edwards, Taniyah Smith and Savannah Garrett. Brown has made her greatest impact as a shooter and will continue to be a weapon in that regard. Smith will contribute big minutes as a post player, as she has gained confidence in her game over the past few years.
Edwards, who stands at 6-foot-6, recently committed to play at the University of Louisiana Monroe, citing the coaching staff and the goal of reaching the WNBA as key factors in her decision. This winter, she’ll be relied upon in a big way. Last season, she nearly posted a double-double, going for 15.1 points and 9.7 boards each game. She also blocked 68 shots on the year.
The Lady Eagles play a strong schedule in the first half of the season, facing teams including Hewitt-Trussville, Chelsea, Huffman, Spain Park and Vestavia Hills, before entering Area 5 play with Hoover, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County.
“If the regular season and those tournaments get us prepared better for area, it’ll be a plus,” Parmer said.