One Hancock team lost an experienced core, the other gained one. Here’s how they’re doing
Jamie Sisco and Collin Goley have their teams rolling.
Sisco is the Hancock High School athletic director and girl’s basketball coach. Collin Goley was basketball coach at Ocean Springs before Goley eventually became Sisco’s assistant on the girl’s Hawks squad at Hancock High.
Now, Goley leads the boy’s team and has his group in the same position as Sisco’s in just his second year — undefeated through six games.
Fresh off a 9-16 season, the boys have won four of their six games by double digits and have handled opponents that added to their loss total a year ago.
Senior forward Blaine Knight leads a Hawks team that is seven seniors deep and heavy on playing experience that predates their time at HHS.
“Hancock is a special place,” Goley said. “Everybody that’s from here pretty much stays here. We have a really good youth league so these kids have been playing together their whole lives. ... They’ve always been a close group and I think that just comes with the environment of where they are from.”
It was a strong summer campaign, which included an overnight trip to Copiah-Lincoln Community College, that had the boys team ready to make waves once the regular season came around.
“We had a really good summer and I think that’s what opened up their eyes,” Goley said. “We beat a lot of teams this summer and that gave them the confidence that we’re a good basketball team and we’re going to beat a lot of teams once the regular season starts.”
Goley says they’ve found success focusing on defense and rebounding while also shooting over 30% as a team from beyond the three-point line.
Knight, a Pearl River Community College signee, is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds a game. He’s getting help from fellow senior Evan Holladay and junior Jackson Corey, both who are averaging double digits in scoring.
“It’s early but we’re winning games by guarding and rebounding,” Goley said. “We’ve improved our three-point shooting. That’s been really good for us. We tell them all the time: defense travels. We try to guard and rebound every night.
“We try to be the tougher team. We’re not always going to be the most-talented team but we’re going to be the toughest.”
Hancock girls doing well despite losing depth
Goley shares the court with the girls team for which he was an assistant coach for four years. That team found itself in the second round of the state tournament last season before losing to Brandon and saying goodbye to a six-deep senior class.
Despite the losses, Sisco’s team this year is still undefeated with star guard and William Carey signee Madelyn Ladner leading the charge.
“We returned two key girls in Jenna Garriga and Maddie Ladner and the rest of our young players are talented, they were just stuck behind seniors last year,” Sisco said. “They have played really well to start the year.”
The girls are also stingy on defense, holding Gautier to just 16 points earlier in the season and keeping D’Iberville off the scoreboard for the entire third quarter in their last game.
Ladner is leading the team in scoring with 15 points per game while also adding four rebounds and four assists on a nightly basis. Cuevas is scoring 12 points a contest and Garriga is contributing with 10 points and six rebounds per game.
Sisco is high on the current roster and believes it’ll be just as good as any team that came before it.
“The thing about our team that is so special and satisfying is that they have been with us since day one in a day and age of constant transferring that has become the new normal at some places,” Sisco said. “They know what our expectations are and know that when you things the right way consistently, good things will happen.”
Both Hawks teams have home contests coming up Friday night against Pass Christian. The boys won the last matchup with the Pirates, 40-29, while the girls also won their last meeting with PCHS, 41-35.
