Lady Tigers have high hopes and limited depth

For the Enquirer

Coach: Amber Deline (third season at Hartselle and 13th overall) First game: Nov. 8 at Gulf Shores Marquee home games (non-area): Dec. 6 vs Mountain Brook, Jan. 14 vs Cullman, Jan. 27 vs Gadsden City Area: Class 6A Area 15 Area opponents: Athens, Decatur, Muscle Shoals 2023-24 record/finish: 20-7; Class 6A Northwest Regional Finals Roster: Seniors Anna Hampton Burroughs, Mary Frances Itsede, Ella Springer, Junior Karson Boyer, Sophomores Hannah Burks, AnnaGrace Folds, Reagan Isbell, Avery Johnston, Freshmen Elsie Boyd, Addison Kuethe Returning starters: 4 – Anna Hampton Burroughs, Hannah Burks, Mary Frances Itsede, Ella Springer Storylines: Hartselle is coming off another 20-win season and a trip to the Northwest Regional Finals…. Burroughs is entering her third season as a starter, while Burks, Itsed and Springer are entering their second…Boyd and Ransom are returning varsity players…Deline is entering her third season as Hartselle’s head coach Who do you expect to have a big year? Burks and Itsede gave us a lot last year. We expect the same level of play from them.” Quoting coach: “I am excited for this year’s team. We have a lot of experience coming back so we are hoping we can build off what we did last year.. I think this team has gelled well. I think our team chemistry is really good, and I hope it will help us develop on both sides of the ball as we progress through the year. What do the Tigers need to do to be successful? “We don’t have much depth, so we must stay healthy and out of foul trouble. We will also need some others to step up and look to score more.” Area outlook: “Our area will differ this year as we drop Cullman, keep Decatur, and pick up Athens and Muscle Shoals. I have a lot of respect for the teams in our area. We played Muscle Shoals twice last year, and both games went down the wire. Decatur is improving with each year. They have a lot of young talent they are building on. Athens is always competitive and athletic.”