Magoffin County Basketball looks toward the upcoming season to show why they belong in the Regional Tournament.
The Lady Hornets under Head Coach Justin Williams looks to improve on a difficult 7-24 record from a year ago. The Lady Hornets lost in the first round of 57th District action to eventual champion Martin County. Entering the 2022-2023 season, the Hornets are excited about the progress they are making.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS – The two main bright spots for the Hornet last year was the interior play of Angel Mullis and the guard play of Karah Lafferty. Mullis, a Senior, led the team in both scoring and rebounding with a double-double average of 11.9 points per game and 10.5 rebounds. Alongside Mullis, Junior Karah Lafferty chipped in with 8.5 points per game. The duo accounted for 60% of the Lady Hornet offense.
KEY LOSSES – The Lady Hornets returns everyone off of last years roster with the exception of the lone Senior Jaylen McCarty. McCarty averaged just under 3 points and 3 rebounds per game last season.
FINAL THOUGHTS – Mullis and Lafferty must have big season if the Lady Hornets are looking to be in the regional tournament. The Girls 57th District is one of the most competitive district in our coverage area. Hopefully the Lady Hornets can continue to improve and make this a 4 team district that everyone will fear.
The 2022-2023 Magoffin County Hornets could be the most athletic team in the 15th Region. Head Coach Scott Castle will look to improve on last years 12-16 record as the youthful Hornets look to take the next step and become one of the elite teams in our coverage area.
KEY PLAYERS RETURNING – The Hornets return their Top 4 scorers off of last years squad that accounted for 89% of Magoffin County’s offense. The Hornets are led by arguably the Regions most prolific scorer, Junior Aden Barnett. Barnett can “fill it up” in a hurry and score in a variety of ways. He is a score first athlete who averaged 22.3 points per game last season all while grabbing a team high 7.4 rebounds. Barnett attempted an incredible 196 free throws last season.
If Barnett is the most athletic Hornet, its easy to say that “Big” Ben Lafferty is the most powerful. Lafferty is a throwback inside presence with a great post game and excellent rebounder. Lafferty, a Senior, was second only to Barnett in both scoring and rebounding with a 12.9 PPG average while grabbing 7.1 boards per game.
Next up the Hornets have two more long athletic players in Zane and Grayson Whitaker. Both will be entering their Junior season and look to improve on their 10.9 and 9 point per game average respectively.
KEY LOSSES – Magoffin County lost 4 seniors off of last years squad. Casey Adkins, Jacob Bailey, Kaden Bowling and Spencer Howard. Each of the four played limited minutes for the Hornets. The leadership these individuals provided will be missed.
FINAL THOUGHTS – The Hornets faithful believe this is their year to break through. Offensively there is no doubt they have as many weapons as anyone with 4 players that can drop “20” at any given moment. The question is defensively, can they buckle down and shut down a team when needed. With the athleticism of this group, I have no doubt they can. We look for the Hornets to make some noise this season.
