Prattville Christian Academy Sets Sights High

By Tim Gayle
RRS Correspondent

When you lose the leading scorer in program history, you can’t expect the following year’s team to be the same. But at Prattville Christian Academy, a surprising trip to the state tournament in 2019 only fueled a desire to return, even if Kaitlin Reyes’ points are impossible to replace.

This is a different team, one that has discarded its offensive prowess for defensive toughness. At least, that’s the plan. “That’s the hope, the mindset that we have to create offense from our defense and get out into the open court and the break,” PCA coach Jason Roberson said. “We’ve got to bring high energy on defense, we’ve got to get after it.”

Without Reyes, the offensive burden falls on the second-leading scorer from a year ago, Ella Jane Connell. Now a year older and wiser, the veteran sophomore is the leading scorer for the Lady Panthers but looks at her role a little differently as well.

“I think (improving on) defense applies to me, too,” she said. “Obviously, my strong suit is offense so picking up my defense this year is huge. Also, just learning how to make more plays for everyone and how to get more points up on offense.”

Prattville Christian is 9-1, with their only loss coming to 6A Chelsea in an early-season tournament. Still, Roberson knows the 2019-20 team must replace the scoring of Reyes and the leadership of fellow senior starters Lydia Brackins and Mary Grace Story. 

“We’re still really young this year,” Roberson pointed out. We start two 10th graders (Connell and Jacey Haynes) and two ninth graders (Hannah Jones and CoCo Thomas) and the first two off the bench is a ninth grader (Chelsea Mulliner) and an eighth grader (Avery Rogers). Part of it is just growing up. They’ll figure it out. Some of them don’t realize they can be really good basketball players, even on the offensive end. They just have to start believing in themselves and their abilities and just go out there and do it.

“Hopefully, the more games we play, the more they’ll believe in themselves and the talents that they have and they’ll continue to improve, but it still is going to hinge on what we do defensively and rebounding the ball.”

It’s a message he has pounded home to the Lady Panthers day after day. It’s a team that is too young to take control in a half-court game, so it must rely on its height inside and its defense to create transition baskets on the other end of the court.

“I think last year we were a lot about the offensive game,” Connell said. “In basketball, you have to play both but last year offense was pretty easy for us. This year, we lack a little bit in offense so it’s just that mindset that this year we’re going to have to use defense to win games. We haven’t really turned that on yet.

“I think we’re a lot better rebounding team this year, but like I said, we haven’t really turned on that beast-mode mindset that we really need this year. I think we have a lot of potential on this team. Even though the scores may look good, I feel like we have a lot more potential. Just winning the game is not enough when you know how much more you could’ve done.”

Prattville Christian has one major asset in its favor. After reaching the state tournament last year, the Lady Panthers are confident in their ability and hungry in their desire to return.

“I think we kind of snuck in there, a lot of people didn’t think we could get there last year,” Roberson said. “We were a smaller team but we had a great scorer and played good at the right time down the stretch. But it was huge for us because that experience has kind of driven a lot of our girls to want to get back there. Whether that’s this year or the next few years – because we’re so young – I think it’s given them a goal that they have seen with their own two eyes that they know they can obtain if they keep working hard.”

Connell thinks her team is on the right track, but needs to continuing improving in each game. “It makes us very excited, that hunger to get back, but I feel like it’s just the small steps this year,” she said. “We lost three senior starters last year so we’re not at the same place we were last year. It’s just those small steps we need to be able to get back there.”