If a team ever had a right to be confident, it would be the Pulaski County High School Lady Cougar basketball team.
The Lady Cougars have put together a record to be proud of. Historically, the program has earned a district championship in seven seasons. The team had a run from the 1995-96 season through 1996-97 then they won it again in the 1999-2000 season. The 2011-12 season saw Pulaski County finish 19-6.
The 2018-19 season saw a group of freshmen arrive that helped the team reach new heights. That team didn’t win a district or region title, but they did make it to the State Championship game, defeating Carroll County at Galax High School to advance to the big game. That win came after falling to the Lady Cavs one out of two regular season games, then falling again in the region tournament finals. They finished that season with a 23-9 record as the State Runners-up. The loss to a huge Lake Taylor squad motivated the Lady Cougar squad.
Things continued to heat up in 2019-20. This time, the Lady Cougars did bring home some hardware. After winning the RRD Regular Season title, Pulaski County lost a rare district contest in the district tournament finals to Patrick Henry. The Lady Cougars went on to win the Class 4, Region D title before falling to Millbrook in the state quarterfinals.
COVID struck in 2020-21, leaving the Lady Cougars with an abbreviated schedule. They finished the regular season undefeated as the RRD regular season champions, then earned another region title. Pulaski County defeated Loudoun Valley to earn the right to host the state title game, where they fell to Louisa County 50-59.
Last season, Pulaski County picked right back up where they left off. After sweeping the River Ridge District regular season and tournament, they moved on to defeat Sherando to advance to the state semi-finals. Unfortunately, that’s where it ended in a 59-68 overtime loss to Millbrook.
In those few seasons, the Lady Cougars gone 56-6 against River Ridge District opposition and 13-0 against Salem. The last time the Lady Spartans beat Pulaski County in basketball way February 7, 2018 in Dublin.
This season, the Lady Cougars are back on a roll. They are currently 19-3 and on an 11-game winning streak. They finished the regular season 12-0 against River Ridge District opposition.
Senior Keslyn Secrist has been a key leader for the Lady Cougars again this season, scoring 345 points. She’s also grabbed 182 rebounds, earned 51 assists, 42 steals, and blocked 26 shots. Secrist broke the 1,000-point mark of her career earlier in the season.
Junior Hannah Keefer has scored 257 points, pulling in 135 rebounds. She’s added 34 assists, 22 steals, and 14 blocked shots.
Senior Paige Huff has scored 236 points this season. She’s also added a team high 46 field goals, 39 rebounds, 69 assists, 38 steals, and 6 blocked shots.
Junior Jaden Lawson has scored 112 points, has 86 rebounds, 76 assists, 79 steals, and seven blocked shots. While Lawson may not be in the top of the team scoring list, what she brings defensively and with moving the ball to other players is vital to the Lady Cougar’s success. When Lawson plays well, the team wins.
Senior Tori Vest is the last player in triple figures scoring, with 110 points. She has also grabbed 92 rebounds, had 30 assists, 36 steals, and two blocked shots.
Junior Kenzlee Jones has been playing with an injured shoulder, but has still contributed 70 points so far. Add to that list 54 rebounds, 39 assists, 18 steals, and 17 blocked shots. That’s all taken place with limited minutes due to her injury.
Sophomore Morgan Vest has scored 62 points. She has 39 rebounds, 18 assists, 22 steals, and one blocked shot. Morgan will be a key part of the team next season and will likely be a key part of any playoff run this season as well.
Junior Andi Ratcliff has also been productive this season. She’s scored 53 points and grabbed 37 rebounds, has 13 steals, and one blocked shot. She is a key part of the Lady Cougar bench that provides valuable minutes and will continue to be very productive.
Junior Destiny Duncan has continued to show improvement throughout the season. She has scored 11 points. She has 26 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. She helps make the team better each day and will continue to improve.
Finally, sophomore Reese Nolen saw her season cut short with a knee injury just a few games into the season. In her time on the court, she scored 25 points, grabbed two rebounds, had five assists, and had 13 steals. After she recovers, she will be a future leader for this team.
Overall, the Lady Cougars have scored 1,281 points this season, while at the same time allowing just 768 points.
All of these regular season numbers mean exactly the same thing now … absolutely nothing. Friday night against Salem begins a new season. Each night the only goal for Pulaski County should be to go 1-0. If the Lady Cougars come into each game focused and ready, fans could see a very interesting playoff run.