The play of sophomore guard Annabelle McIntosh has been one of the keys to a 4-1 start for the West Union Lady Dragons. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
In his second year at the helm, West Union Lady Dragons head coach Jacob Stout has his team pointed in the right direction. In fact, the Lady Dragons have already accomplished something this season that girls basketball at West Union hadn’t seen in 40 years. This year’s Lady Dragons won their first four games, something that hadn’t been done since the 1984-85 season, when the West Union girls began 10-0 under the guidance of legendary coach Joe Kramer.
The 2024-25 campaign for Coach Stout’s squad began on November 23 with a 54-49 non-conference win at Clinton Massie and then continued two days later with the first Southern Hills Athletic Conference win, a 45-30 home victory over Fairfield. Senior Ashlah Staten led the scoring in the Fairfield win with 15 points, followed by Annabelle McIntosh with 9 and Maddie Stout with 8, Stout also hauled in 14 rebounds.
On December 2, the Lady Dragons were back in conference play, hosting the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs and the home team improved to 3-0 with another double figure victory, this time 53-41. McIntosh drained a trio of three-point goals on her way to a team-high 15 points, while senior Olivia Lewis also hit three from beyond the arc to boost her 14-point total. Sophomore Jocelyn Hall also had a big game, scoring 8 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
The next West Union outing was a December 4 non-conference date with the Bethel-Tate Lady Tigers. The Lady Dragons made it four straight withanother double-digit triumph, this time by a final score of 51-38. West Union trailed after one quarter, but smoked the nets for 22 second quarter points and never looked back. Again, it was Lewis beyond the arc as the senior nailed four three-pointers and led the winners with 15 points. Staten added 13 with Stout and McIntosh chipping in 9 each.
The early season winning streak came to a close on Monday night as the Lady Dragons were back in conference play as they hosted the Ripley Lady Jays, who were still looking for their first conference win. The game was a tight one throughout and tied at 49 apiece with 2:45 to play. At that point, the Lady Dragons went ice cold and allowed their visitors to score the game’s last 11 points as the Lady Jays chalked up a 60-49 road win.
The now 4-1 Lady Dragons will be back in Conference action on Thursday, December 12 as they are again on their home court, hosting the Eastern Lady Warriors. On Monday, December 16 the West Union girls will be on the road to face Manchester in another conference outing.
