1 of 2
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Chelsea’s Ellen Fleming (32) shoots a layup as she’s guarded by Vestavia Hills’ Ally Smith (10) in a Nov. 12 game at Chelsea High School.
2 of 2
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Chelsea’s Mackenzie Titus (44) shoots a layup in a Nov. 12 game against Vestavia.
When she moved to Chelsea as a sophomore, Mackenzie Titus had her mind set on focusing on soccer.
It was the sport that held her future — she has since signed with Mississippi State University in the Southeastern Conference — and she was set to draw the curtain on her basketball career.
But new head basketball coach Jason Harlow saw Titus’ skills on the hardwood on display during P.E. one day. He realized Titus would be a key addition to his Lady Hornets program and set forth on a recruiting expedition.
Each time Harlow passed Titus in the hallway during the school day, he asked her to come out for the team. The persistence paid off in the end.
“Coach Harlow dragged me back,” Titus recalled. “I moved here sophomore year, and I was going to quit. He saw me playing in P.E., and Coach Harlow dogged me for a week or two asking me to come play.”
Titus has been a key contributor ever since. In her senior season, she is putting the final touches on a stellar multisport career at Chelsea.
“It would be easy for her to focus on [soccer],” Harlow said. “The girls understand that. Each one of these seniors is unselfish in their own way, and we’re blessed to have them. To not only be here, but to be dedicated and work so hard and be such a great leader, we’re fortunate.”
Titus is one of four Lady Hornets seniors, along with Ellen Fleming, Mary Henley Carney and Halle Eidson. She and Fleming have been relied upon heavily for the last several years and have taken the torch as leaders this season.
“We have the most unselfish group of seniors, collectively, that I’ve ever coached,” Harlow said.
Fleming is one of those players who has continually improved each year, according to Harlow, adding a dynamic to her game with each passing season.
“She’s always been sneaky good to the basket because she’s a lefty,” Harlow said. “Each year, she’s gotten better. Last year, she was tough and developed a floater, and her midrange game was pretty solid. This year, she’s shooting the ball well from 3 [-point range].”
Titus has always been a force under the basket, as the Lady Hornets’ primary forward. She said she has made a concerted effort to expand her range and improve her jump shot.
“I’ve been working on my jump shot and trying to not just be a threat under the basket, but midrange as well,” she said.
Along with adding to her game throughout the years, Fleming is also working on the mental side of the game and not dwelling as much on mistakes as she has in the past.
“One of the biggest things that’s taken me down is I get a little bit too much in my head sometimes,” she said. “So, I’ve been working on it, and I’ve gotten a lot better at it. You’ve just got to think about the next play and forget about it.”
Fleming and Titus have been part of teams that advanced to the regional tournament the last two years, and they would love nothing more than to make that a third straight year. The dynamic of the team is slightly different this season, with last year’s team featuring a dominant senior class.
“I’m really happy with the way the team has come together and played. We haven’t played our best game yet, and last year we didn’t play our best game until area. We’re hoping we get it all together by then,” Titus said.
With new personnel and the challenges of a summer with COVID-19 restrictions, the Lady Hornets are still trying to figure things out on the offensive end.
“If they continue to work hard, the offense is going to come,” Harlow said. “You can struggle on the offensive side of the ball if you continue to play defense and rebound and chase 50/50s [loose balls] like you should. They’re blue-collar kids.”
Titus and Fleming are two of Chelsea’s top four scorers, which are separated by very little when it comes to points per game. There is no go-to player on the Lady Hornets, which makes them a challenge for the opposition to choose which player to focus on.
“It makes us tough to scout,” Harlow said. “Kids understand the identity and what we’re trying to do. We’re going to guard and communicate on the defensive end. We’re a dribble-drive oriented offense that is looking to attack the basket.”
The team may look a little different this year without last year’s senior class, but that group rubbed off on the likes of Fleming and Titus, and the Lady Hornets have kept things rolling.
“The year before, you have a team with expectations and then you still have kids that were around within that, that are willing to work hard and are great team players and they continue that success,” Harlow said.
