CHARLOTTESVILLE — Eastern Hancock has had 10 straight winning seasons.
There is good reason to believe that stretch of success will continue.
The Royals were 13-9 last season and return their top four scorers — and six of the top seven — for the 2021-22 season.
Eastern Hancock opens its 22-game regular season slate, on the road, tonight in a Mid-Eastern Conference matchup at Wes-Del in Gaston (north of Muncie).
The Royals were third in the MEC last season with a 6-2 mark.
“We had a lot of youth last year. Even though we have some experience coming back, we’re still young,” head coach Shari Doud, in her sixth season with the Royals, said. “In that years’ time a lot has gained. The kids come in physically stronger, mentally tougher, more confident. They had a great summer.
“Heading into our first game, it feels really, really good what could lie ahead for us.”
Even with all of their varsity experience, the Royals are still considered a young club. Of that returning group of six, only Caroline Stapleton is a senior.
She averaged 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.1 assists.
“She’s our lone senior with a lot of experience,” Doud said. “She’s a four-year letterwinner. Just having the calming effect of a senior on the floor that’s been at this for a while is nice to see out there. I’m happy to have her to accompany these talented youngsters.”
One of those talented youngsters is Caroline’s younger sister.
Junior point guard Grace Stapleton returns as a leader in multiple statistical categories. She led the team in ‘20-‘21 in points (12.2), assists (3.0) and steals (3.4).
“We have Grace back as a third-year starting point guard. We’re going to ask her to do a lot of things, but she also has a good unit to go along with her,” Doud added.
In last year’s season-opener versus Wes-Del, Grace Stapleton had a career-high 24 points, including seven 3-pointers.
“I think, with our experience we’ll have a better season knowing situations,” Grace Stapleton said. “I’m real excited, especially since we’ll be able to have fans this year. It will be great to have that kind of environment back.”
The Stapletons are one of three sister combos. All are expected to be big factors.
Junior Emma Bolding and sophomore Sammie Bolding have had ample playing time at the varsity level. Sammie was a starting guard much of last season and the team’s second leading scorer at 8.9 points per contest. She contributed 2.8 steals and 2.7 assists per outing.
Emma, a forward who can move to a guard spot if needed, is a seasoned player coming off averages of 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
The Royals tallest player is 6-1 sophomore Ruby White. She was last year’s top rebounder (5.2) and leader in blocked shots (1.3). She has an older sister on the team, senior forward Anna White, who had a strong off-season and will likely see more varsity time this year after spending much of last season with the JV squad.
Doud added that the 6-1 White is also fast and will mix well with a team that is guard heavy.
“She can cover some ground fast (for her size). She’s going to be a rim-runner for us,” Doud said. “Her length is something you can’t coach. Her timing is great (as a shot blocker), too.”
The Royals graduated three seniors, Chloe O’Neal, who averaged 6.5 points and scored a career-high 17 against Triton Central in the sectional, part-time starter Delaney Collins (2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds) and Jaysa Melton.
Three sophomores that all saw key varsity action as freshmen are back. Makenzie O’Neal, Chloe’s younger sister, averaged 3.1 points as a first-year varsity player.
Sophomores Brooklyn Willis (1.9 points in 14 games) and Sydney Springman (11 games) saw varsity playing time as frosh and are among the guards expected to see more playing time this season.
“I can look down my bench and see several guards that could go in the game and we do not lose anything,” Doud added. “There’s a real level playing field among several of the guards and it’s made it tough for me to see how the rotation is going to work.”
Others back with some varsity time last year include, senior Olivia Hancock, who played in nine games including an 11-point performance vs. Centerville. Senior Lexi Knight played in four games last season.
With the returning talent and experience, the Royals are hoping to contend for both conference and sectional titles.
Blue River Valley, a Class 1A regional finalist and 22-game winner a year ago, is the defending MEC champion and expected to be one of the teams to beat again this year. A year ago, the Royals finished behind BRV and Shenandoah, which lost some top players to graduation. Wapahani is another one of the MEC’s stronger foes.
In the sectional, the Royals would love to snap Triton Central’s four-year winning streak.
Of last year’s nine losses, five were to teams that went on to be sectional champions (Triton Central 2, Southwestern, Shenandoah, Blue River Valley).
“I’m really excited and feel we have a lot of potential to do some good things,” Caroline Stapleton said of the upcoming campaign. “We’ve all been together for so long, we have good team chemistry. We’re going to need to keep working together and always give 100 percent.”
