The Shadow
Things are looking bright this season for the Covington girl’s basketball team.
Coach Mark Pifer returns point guard Sa’Mone Moore, who was named 2011 Pioneer District Player of the Year in her freshman season, along with three other starters and a number of role players from last year’s team.
The Lady Cougars are coming off a 17-9 season that saw them fall one step short of advancing to the state tournament after falling 45-39 to Galax in the Region C semifinals.
Pifer will have to try and replace Shanice Laws, a 1,000-point scorer in her three seasons on the varsity level.
“Shanice leaves a big void,” said Pifer. “She scored 1,000 points in three seasons. We’re looking to replace her with more than one person.”
The one person where the offense all starts is in the hands of Moore.
Moore averaged 18.2 ppg as a freshman and was an outside threat for the Cougars, making 27 of 91 three-point attempts. She also snagged 144 rebounds, had 91 steals and dished out 73 assists from her point guard position.
“It’s huge having Sa’Mone back,” said Pifer. “She’s gotten better in the offseason. You can tell that her confidence is up. She’s looked really good in the preseason.
“She’s no secret either,” added the CHS coach. “We scrimmaged Roanoke Valley Christian and the first thing they’re coach asked me was about Sa’Mone Moore. Her reputation has gotten around.”
Another key returner is junior shooting guard Autumn Phillips (8.0 ppg), who missed the final 10 games of last season after tearing her ACL.
Returning in the paint for the Cougars is junior Mary Woodson (5.3 ppg, 154 rebounds) and Leteashia Clarke (8.4 ppg, 214 rebounds).
“It’s nice to get Leteashia back. She is probably one of the most athletic post players around,” said Pifer. “Mary has had a good preseason and has gotten better. Mary was solid in the scrimmage we had.”
Also returning from last season are Brittany Keyser, Montanna Hall, Bailey Hall and Briana Moore.
“We are very experienced and still young at the same time having only one senior on the roster,” stated Pifer. “We have seven girls back that have started for us at some point over the past two seasons.
“Brittany Keyser has been huge in practice. Her speed is unbelievable,” added Pifer. “Sometimes she’s too fast for her own good, but she’s as good a defender as we have and that is going to get her plenty of minutes on the floor.
“Montanna got some starts last season, Bailey Hall saw plenty of minutes on the floor and Briana is a junior who has played one season after tearing her ACL in both knees, tearing one her 8th grade year and one as a sophomore,” added?��Pifer.
Daylin Tyree will be the lone senior on Pifer’s roster and brings back varsity experience after starting as a sophomore before sitting out her junior year.
“It’s great to have Daylin back,” said Pifer. “She didn’t play last year and it’s going to take her a little time to get back in the swing of things. But she’s going to be fine and be a big contributor.”
Sophomore Shermaine Garland and freshman Autumn Woodson round out Pifer’s squad.
The Cougars have upgraded their non-district schedule in hopes of getting them better prepared for the district stretch.
The Cougars will play Riverheads, a two-time Final Four team, Stuarts Draft, who recently just dropped from the AA ranks, and could face Robert E. Lee, a Group AA Final Four participant who has a guard that has already signed with JMU, in their holiday tournament.
Covington will also make a trip to Orlando, Fla., to participate in a tournament against a number of private schools.
“The schedule has definitely been upgraded and that was on purpose,” said Pifer. “Our record may suffer a little bit because of the quality of the teams we are playing, but I think it will definitely help us in the long run.
“We took some automatic wins off our schedule and replaced them with some very competitive games. Hopefully that will pay off come February,” added Pifer.
Pifer looks for the Pioneer District to be competitive once against this season.
“The district was competitive last season ending in a three-way tie between us, Bath County and James River,” said the CHS coach. “James River was young last year and they be good again this season.
“Bath County returns one of the best athletes in the area in Jailyn Ford,” added Pifer. “I know they lost a lot from last season, but when you can start your team with Jailyn Ford, that’s a pretty good start.
“I’m not sure about Parry McCluer, but I know Coach Adam Gilbert always does a good job with their program,” stated Pifer. “Last season was a three-way tie and I expect it will be another dogfight for the regular season and the tournament is going to be another crazy one I’m sure.”
The Cougars open their season Wednesday at the Augusta County Tip-Off Classic at Riverheads High School. The Lady Cougars will take on the host Gladiators at 6 p.m.
They return to Riverheads Friday for the final day of the Augusta County Tip-Off Classic and will take on Stuarts Draft. Tip time is slated for 6 p.m.
Covington opens its 2011 home schedule on December 14 against Glenvar.
