Joe’s Take: Gilmer County’s fun because everyone’s involved

Gilmer County’s Titans are fun. Plain and simple. To say that isn’t suggesting they’ve never entertained in the past. Nor does it mean they won't entertain again. After last season ended way too early, it’s a huge achievement that head coach Amy Chapman and company aren’t stony-faced automatons looking at one mission to complete every time on the floor - win, win, win. That kind of disappointment - losing before you feel it is your time - often leaves a team bitter and unfeeling of enjoyment during the next regular-season grind. "I think everyone remembers the feeling from last year and doesn’t want a repeat," Chapman said. It certainly appears that way. <img class="size-medium wp-image-386213 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/MG_6612.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />Plays delight. Shots excite. Everyone gets involved. "There’s an end game in sight for these girls. They have big dreams. They witnessed Gilmer win the first state championship and how magical it was. That is big motivation, and they want the same memory and dream to come true and are doing whatever it takes to achieve," Chapman said. In fact, talent's delivering all over the court. [player_tooltip player_id="153400" first="Trinity" last="Bancroft"] and [player_tooltip player_id="154942" first="Malaysia" last="Morgan"] form the scoring engine. For the most part, they take care of the big point totals thus allowing everyone else to focus on their assignments on the floor. Bancroft scores inside and outside of the arc. Morgan creates havoc down low with an ability to sneak and maneuver her way to the basket. All told, the duo is always providing a great one-two punch. <img class=" wp-image-375696 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Carrah-Ferguson-210x300.jpg" alt="" width="203" height="290" />Then you have [player_tooltip player_id="153408" first="Carrah" last="Ferguson"] and Emma Taylor, the veteran point guard and small forward adding the reliable boost in the scoring column. "They are just really steady and take good shots for the most part," Chapman said. "A lot of teams focus on Malaysia and Trin which leaves Carrah open and she’s deadly with her long- and mid-range shot. Both girls get their feet set and launch the ball in no time." How are things getting better from there? Simple. Defensive stoppers [player_tooltip player_id="154947" first="Taylor" last="McHenry"] and [player_tooltip player_id="379515" first="Allie" last="Ellyson"] are catalyzing a stifling defense by flying around and jumping anyone unlucky enough to not fully have their heads in the game. "They just have the arsenal to make great defenders," Chapman said. "Allie is really giving us a spark off the bench and everyone's feeding off Taylor. She works well on double teams, and everyone sees it. And she’s got such a good feeling for the passing lanes." Just in case those players aren't causing enough problems, Bayley Frashure and Stevie Starsick bring even more rebounding and defense off the bench with an occasional offensive surge. Sounds like a pretty complete set up, right? Chasing the same goal together for the last three years actually serves one other purpose for the seniors. More than the players excelling in their roles, there's an unshakable bond between the seniors in particular. Just look at what happened on senior night. Morgan, instead of walking by herself onto the court for one final introduction, received an escort from her other classmates on a special night. It doesn't take a genius to see how much these kids care about each other. Everything and everyone work well together. So far, the Titans have just two losses and many argue they ended up playing their best game of the season in a recent setback to Parkersburg Catholic in the Little Kanawha Conference title game. In other words, silver linings are emerging everywhere for this group. "They are just focused and dialed in," Chapman said. "When it comes to the mental aspect, they are tough." Don't forget fun, as well.