After back-to-back title game runs, the Lumpkin County girls enter a new era after graduating Kate Jackson, Mary Mullinax, and Lexi Pierce, and coach David Dowse moving on. Still, new head coach Tess Wright has All-State guard Averie Jones and fellow senior guard Ciera Brooks to lead a solid group that is ready to compete once again with the best in the state.

PRESEASON INFO

2022-23 Record: 26-5; State Runner-Up; Region Runner-Up; #1 State Ranking
Head Coach: Tess Wright (1st Season)
Returning Starters: 2
Key Departures: Mary Mullinax (All-State, Region POY, BLITZ POY), Lexi Pierce (All-Region, All-State), Kate Jackson (All-Region)
“Of course, the team graduated a lot of girls,” says Wright. “There are several standout players that graduated and are continuing their basketball careers; Kate Jackson (Emmanuel University), Mary Mullinax (Emory University), and Lexi Pierce (the University of North Georgia). Other key players that graduated were Elizabeth Walker and Sarah Major.”
Key Players: Averie Jones (Preseason 1st Tm All-State), Ciera Brooks, Ava Jones
“We have several key players that we will be relying on heavily this season,” says Wright. “First among them is our senior guard, Averie Jones, who is a great scorer and team leader. We will also be relying on Ciera Brooks, another senior guard who is a tenacious defender and a major key to our offense and defense. Ava Jones is a senior guard/post who did not play last year but was on the 2022 state championship team. She is a great rebounder, an excellent defender, and works very hard in practice. We have Maddie Lee, a sophomore guard who is very versatile for us and a skilled three-point shooter. In addition, we have Breigh Rice, junior guard, and Alayna Lindley, sophomore guard/post. We have three freshmen this year Bailey Edelberg, Reagan Richardson, and Anna Kate Davis. Bailey Edelberg is unfortunately out due to a torn ACL. Therefore we are sad we will not get to see her in action this year but are looking forward to having her back next year. All of our freshmen work really hard and compete during practice. Getting our freshmen to grow up fast is a challenge we are faced with. They are going to have to contribute, therefore getting them experience and knowledge that they need will be really important for us this year.”
Offense: “Our offensive style is versatile,” adds Wright. “We can adapt to different scenarios and make changes in our tactics as necessary. We have a group of well-rounded players who can execute different types of offensive plays. We plan to capitalize on each player’s strengths and keep our offensive game unpredictable and diverse.”
Strengths: “I feel that one of our strengths is having three seniors that were on the 2022 state championship team,” says Wright. “Two of those seniors also played in the 2023 state championship game. That kind of leadership and experience is something that you can not teach. They have experienced playing the best teams in the state and know what it takes to compete at a championship level. In addition, we have a versatile roster that includes talented underclassmen who have been developing their skills over the summer. With a mix of experienced and upcoming players, we feel confident in our ability to perform well as a team.”
Biggest Challenges: “Our biggest challenge this season is the strong competition in our region,” states Wright. “We are looking forward to playing against some of the best teams in 3A, and that will give us the opportunity to test our strategies and make changes accordingly. Also, managing player injuries and maintaining their physical health is always a challenge (especially with our numbers).”

“Our expectation is to continue building our program and compete at the highest level,” states Wright. “We want to finish strong in our region and make the playoffs. We believe that our team has the potential to compete and finish well in our region. However, we know that this will require a lot of hard work, and we are committed to putting in the effort to make our goals a reality.”