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Union County is quietly perhaps one of the more consistent girls teams over the past six years or so. In that span, the Lady Panthers have made the playoffs every season since 2019-20, including a Sweet 16 or further in four of those instances, and back-to-back the last two years. One starter returns, but she’s got a real chance to be a top player in the region.
PRESEASON INFO
2024-25 Record: 19-12; State Sweet 16; Region RU
Head Coach: Thomas Nelson (3rd Season)
Returning Starters: 1
Key Departures: Ariel McCarter (All-State), Hope Taylor (All-Region), Katelyn Brown (All-Region), Aubrie Akins (All-Region), Sloane Dyer (All-Region), Hensley Adams (Injured)
Key Players: “Regan Trlica will be returning for her junior season,” says coach Nelson. “Regan will be one of the best players in our region this season. Mady Adams, Naomi Nelson, McKenna Hood, Tatumn Fisher, and Ella Akins will also be expected to step up into a new role this season. The growth of Emry Sosensky, Livia Haney, and Samantha Combs has been fun to watch this summer. Top newcomers: Miya Totherow, Bristol Davis, Scout Henry, and Hailey Marshall will be expected to contribute this season.”
Offense: “We want to play fast when possible.”
Strengths: “We will be more athletic than we have been in the past few years.”
Biggest Challenges: “Three things that we have been able to circle as very important for our team this season. How fast can our players adapt to their new role? Losing so many seniors can make it a hard adjustment for some players. How fast can we adjust to how physical our league can be? With Murray County, Sonoraville, Ringgold, Coahulla Creek, and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, there were times when the games looked more like rugby than basketball. We will have to adjust. Can we avoid the injury bug? The last two seasons injuries have been hard on us. Losing Hensley Adams in the scrimmage last year, losing Katelyn Brown for half of the season, and then losing Regan Trlica at the end of the season took a toll on our team.”
“We will be young this year,” states Nelson. “The expectations are always high here at Union County. We hope to be toward the top half of the division. Murray County had a great year last year and is returning all but one of those girls this year. Ringgold returns the core of their team as well. We expect to be up there with those teams.”
