Shawnee welcomes back key player from injury
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The injury bug devastated the Shawnee High School girls’ basketball team last season.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Lady Reds coach Chad Pitts hopes that doesn’t haunt them again this season.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“If we can stay healthy, we’ll be in the majority of games we play,” Pitts said. “But we’ve got to avoid injuries.”</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Last season’s top player, junior Drew McLane, suffered an ACL tear and was lost for the season. She was averaging 15 to 16 points a game when she was hurt.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">McLane, a 5-6 guard, is back at 100 percent, Shawnee’s coach said. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Drew opens up a lot for us,” Pitts said. “When she penetrates, it opens it up for our other players.”</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">McLane returns from last year’s 2-15 squad, as do senior Lexis Charles, a 5-3 guard; and juniors Madi Ellet, a 5-4 guard, and Abbey Livesay, a 5-6 forward. Livesay could be lost for a while after a recent concussion.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The other senior is Morgan Stevens, a 5-7 forward.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The other junior is Brittney Abercrombie, a 5-6 forward.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Two freshmen who could contribute are Autumn McMahan, a 5-5 guard, and Katie Charles, a 5-5 guard.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Pitts said the team has two legitimate 3-point shooting threats in Ellet and McMahan.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Pitts said he’s ready to get started playing, because they really can’t scrimmage in practice with only eight players on the roster.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Having no scrimmage makes it tough,” he said. “Our lack of numbers has been a common theme for a number of years.”</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Pitts looks for Meridian to be the top team in the South Egyptian Conference race.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Lady Reds are scheduled to open their season this week in the Lady Bobcat Tournament at Meridian.</span></p>