Packed house

MADISON – When a team posts 28-1 record, the bar can be set pretty high the following season.

When that same team returns nine players and four of its five starters, the bar gets a little higher.

When that one loss was suffered in the state semifinals, well, you get the idea.

For Madison County basketball, the only goal is the one that got away last year.

“We expect to win it all this year,” Madison County senior Jerel Carter said. “Last year was a big disappointment – how we lost in the semifinals – and we don’t want that feeling again.”

To make sure it doesn’t happen again, the Mountaineers have taken a defensive-minded approach early in the season.

“I’d like to focus more on defense, especially being physical on the ball,” Madison County coach Ben Breeden said. “Late in the year last year, I thought we had a lot of breakdowns defensively out front with our guards, which put a lot of pressure on our guys in the middle. We’re trying to be really strong on the ball this year.”

Breeden takes the reigns of the program this year after serving as an assistant under Tim Taylor, who is now the associate head coach for the University of Virginia women’s team.

The Mountaineers reeled off 28 straight wins last season with a team boasting only two seniors. This season, the roster is packed with eight.

“Our senior class is just so talented overall,” Carter said. “We’ve got guards, we’ve got posts, we’ve got wing players – we are just so talented.”

The Mountaineer backcourt is led by Carter and fellow seniors Casey Campbell and A.J. Butler, while the big boys down low include seniors Logan Terrell, David Falk, Matt Garr and Patrick Lucas.

With the leadership and experience every senior can add to their skills, it’s no surprise the bar is set so high.

“We’re expecting a lot of things from our seniors,” Breeden said. “Great leadership for one – on and off the court. They’ve been in the program for a long time – they know what the expectations are, they know how to carry themselves. We’re expecting big things.”

Those seniors have already seen improvement from last year.

“Everybody’s on the same page,” Terrell said. “Everybody worked hard in the offseason – you’ve seen everybody’s game just improved.”

Mountaineer fans can expect an in-your-face game if the Madison County defense has anything to say about it.

“We’re just trying to move at a fast pace,” Terrell said. “A lot of trapping, a lot of full court press – just trying to get up in everybody’s face.”

On the offensive end, both the big men and guards are looking to make each other successful.

“I think our biggest thing is we’re going to try to pound it in,” Falk said. “That’s going to open it up for our guards.”

Junior Dominic Roebuck and sophomore Travis Warren both return from last season. New faces to the varsity squad include senior Trey Hensley and juniors Rashad Bolden and Terez Terrell. The Mountaineers lost Sam Utz and Kyle Louk to graduation last year.

With any team with lofty goals in mind, there is always that one key that can bring it all together.

“We just need to take it one game at a time – we can’t overlook any game.” Falk said. “Anybody can be beat on any given night, so just one game at a time.”