TALKIN’ PREP BASKETBALL: Rise of girls programs leveling Cullman County playing field

Published 9:00 am Friday, December 5, 2014

It’s time to stop being surprised when Hanceville keeps it close with Holly Pond, when Fairview pushes Cold Springs to the brink and when West Point beats anybody.

And Good Hope, the program that was supposed to slip into obscurity without Nina Mills and Kayla Tillman? Yeah, about that …

Parity, at long last, has returned to Cullman County girls basketball. And unless you’re Holly Pond or Cold Springs, that’s a fact worth celebrating.

Aside from longtime Good Hope leader Michael Oldacre, there’s a common thread on the three local campuses where revivals are taking place. Hanceville, West Point and Fairview — get this — are all on the rise with first- and second-year coaches leading the way.

Christina Warren didn’t wait even a week to bring her championship brand of basketball to the Lady Bulldogs. With their new coach — a four-time county champ and member of Hanceville’s 2001 state title team — on the bench and Taylor Hollingsworth still going strong on the court, the Purple and Gold made an early statement with an upset of defending-Class 4A winner Oneonta.

They’ve since backed it up with a decisive win at Corner and a trio of cutthroat county contests. The most obvious notable was Tuesday’s 60-51 battle versus Holly Pond.

Nine points not close enough for you? Then consider this — the Bulldogs only trailed 34-33 at halftime.

Oh, how times are changing. For the better. And back, slowly but surely, to how they were when Warren roamed the hallways.

John Welborn is no stranger to coaching, but this is his first rodeo in a lead role on the varsity circuit.

As the son of local legend Danny Welborn and brother of three-time state champ Tammy West, winning is in his blood. And it’s already spilling into the lifeline of a West Point program with big-time potential.

Powered by mega-point producer Mallory Walker and junior Jeri Beasley, a pesky yet productive player in her own right, the Lady Warriors handed Welborn his first varsity win — not to mention a few gray hairs — with a 70-67 thriller over Cullman. That set the stage for a three-game win streak and a solid 2-2 showing at the Lady Hawks Thanksgiving Classic before Tuesday’s overtime clash at Good Hope.

A 5-4 record might not have opponents running scared, but it’s certainly nothing to scoff at, either. Give Welborn time to build the program from the ground up, and West Point can be a force for years to come.

That is, if Fairview doesn’t take off first.

Touting a roster plump with youth and talent — and devoid of a single senior — the Aggies are perhaps the local program with the highest long-term ceiling. Freshman phenom Taylor Ann Yeager already has a full season of varsity experience, and Jada Golden, Dalys Mullican, Ashley Latham, Lizzie Garrison

Touting a roster plump with youth and talent — and devoid of a single senior — the Aggies are perhaps the local program with the highest long-term ceiling. Freshman phenom Taylor Ann Yeager already has a full season of varsity experience under her belt, and Jada Golden, Dalys Mullican, Ashley Latham, Lizzie Garrison and others are sure stars in the making.

And who better to relate to a bunch of up-and-coming kiddos than second-year coach Mary Hartline. Wait, Hartline doesn’t ring a bell? Try her maiden name, Mary Lauren Mills. Yeah, that Mary Lauren Mills, the former Good Hope standout who eventually took her talents to Wallace State.

So far this season, the highlights for Hartline’s squad are a gritty triumph over Good Hope and scrappy effort in a 57-48 defeat to Cold Springs. Don’t expect those to stand, though. There are bigger sights in store for Fairview’s girls. Frankly, if they don’t win a county championship before Yeager’s class graduates, I’ll be shocked.

Last, but certainly not least, is Good Hope, which doesn’t quite fit in with these other hidden gems. After all, the Lady Raiders are only two years removed from back-to-back county championships and state tournament appearances.

Life hasn’t quite been the same since Tillman and her 2,000 career points shipped off to Faulkner. But it hasn’t exactly been rife with grief and tragedy, either.

And that’s thanks to Oldacre, who only needs a scorer or two (hello, Kaylee Maddox and Celest Whisenant) and a group of girls (see Sadie Abbott, Jessica King, Kate Kent, Jami Stinson and others) to employ his exhausting style of smothering defense. It’s gotten Good Hope to a 4-4 record at this early juncture, but it’s certain to wear down quite a few more foes before all is said and done.

With all that said, Holly Pond and Cold Springs very well could wind up in the county championship for a second straight year. But if they don’t, don’t be surprised. Hanceville, West Point, Fairview and Good Hope are good.

And they’re only getting better.