Priceville’s Terri Nelson has been named the Enquirer’s All-Area Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Bulldogs back to the Northwest Regional Tournament for the third consecutive season.

The Lady Bulldogs won 21 games this season despite entering the season with only two returning starters.

“This season was very special to me,” said Nelson. “I really loved going to every single practice and every single game. All 12 girls on this team embraced their roles and always put the team first. The chemistry was unbelievable to witness and special to be a part of this season.”

This season was her tenth at the helm of the Lady Bulldogs program. Over that time she has won 164 games.

Coming into the season, Nelson had to find replacements for Kathleen Wheeler, 4A Player of the Year and Samford signee, and Skyler Benson who combined to score more than 3,000 points in their career.

“We lost a lot of offense from the previous season,: Nelson said. “I believe that we were even more of a threat because you didn’t know where the scoring was going to come from on a given night. Different players stepped up when they were needed and because everyone celebrated each other’s successes some magical moments took place.”

The Lady Bulldogs record set at just above .500 at 10-8 when January 1^st arrived. Nelson’s team went on an 11-2 run to close out the season. Their only losses were to Hartselle in the Morgan Co. Championship and to Rogers in the Northwest Regional tournament.

“I felt early on that this group could make another run,” said Nelson. “The girls fought for each other and for our Seniors every single time they stepped on the floor.”

Nelson’s team loses seniors Lannah Johnson, Olivia Duran, and Elizabeth Halbrooks, but will return four starters including Jenna Walker who has committed to Western Kentucky University.

Nelson believes that next year’s team will have the same passion and commitment to each other and to goals that have not yet been fulfilled.