The 2019-2020 Basketball season is set to tip-off Monday, and the Lady Bulldogs of Waldron are ready. Since the spring, the Lady Bulldogs have been working on their game in anticipation of this upcoming season. The Sr Lady Dogs will feature a small team in terms of numbers but they don’t lack in toughness.
The only returning starter that Coach Josh Atchley’s squad will feature is senior guard Chelsea Stidman. “Chelsea is a great athlete that played hard for us last year. Against Lincoln, she grabbed twenty rebounds and was consistently our most aggressive rebounder last year. This year she is going to have a much larger role because we will need her to score, defend, rebound, and kind of be our senior leader. She has had a good offseason and I know she wants to make the most of her senior season.”
The team also features seniors Irelynn Carpenter and Ysaline Beguin. “Irelynn returns to us after not having played since Jr High. You can tell she hasn’t played in a couple of years but has done a good job of trying to ‘catch-up’ as quick as she can. She brings some toughness that we desperately need and will help us depth-wise for sure. Ysaline is a foreign exchange student from Belgium that has never played basketball but she provides us some entertainment during practice.”
The Lady Bulldogs include three juniors in Rheagan Sanford, Jessica Ozuna, and Kadance Espinoza. All three will play a valuable role for the team this season. “Jessica returns for her junior year after getting some experience on the floor as a sophomore. She has to work on her self-confidence a bit but she will be on the floor for us a lot this year. Rheagan re-joins the team after missing her sophomore season. Rheagan is a skilled guard that will run the 1 spot for us. Her basketball IQ is improving daily and she will be a big part of our success as a team this year. Kadance moved into Waldron during the spring and will add to our depth. Kadance is a tough defender and doesn’t force anything on the offensive end.”
Four sophomores Hailey Stidman, Molly Richmond, Bianca Hinojosa, and Summer Imperali finish off the roster for the Lady Bulldogs. “Hailey is working on being a post player at the senior high level and will have to help us out this year big time as a sophomore. Molly has to work on being more aggressive but her skill level has improved throughout the summer and offseason. Bianca is a lanky guard who has really bought into adding value to her game. Summer is a tough-nosed player who has battled her way back from a knee injury.”
Waldron Basketball will play its annual Orange/Black game on November 11 at 5 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs open their season on November 14th against Two Rivers in the Waldron Activity Center at 6:00 p.m. for their annual Toy Toss games. Fans are encouraged to throw a stuffed animal on the court after the first made basket in the senior boys game. The toys collected will be donated locally for children at Christmas.
