The top-ranked Lady Hawks are undefeated and looking to make amends
Hancock is in familiar territory.
The Lady Hawks are 16-0 for the second time in as many years, and chasing a goal that was ripped from their hands a season ago.
The good news for coach Jamie Sisco this time around: he’s got one of the most experienced teams in the state, and a lineup that has been in this exact spot before.
“I knew we had a chance to be really good based on the season we had last season and who we had coming back,” Sisco told the Sun Herald.
The Lady Hawks were 27-3, opened the season with 20 consecutive wins and had another seven-game win streak mixed in. But they did not qualify for a spot in the state playoffs after losing both of their district tournament games.
Injuries, bad luck and a brutally competitive region factored in Hancock’s disappointing end to what was a stellar campaign. Nevertheless, it left a bitter taste in the mouths of the team’s leaders.
“It’ll always linger,” forward Anslee James said. “We realized that records don’t matter until we get to district.”
According to Sisco, about 90 percent of the offense from last year’s team returned for another run. That group is anchored by senior William Carey signee Brooklyn Cuevas, who scored her 1,000th career point in December.
The perfect storm of talent and cohesion has created a team that has already proved its worth during the current campaign by trouncing a loaded Harrison Central squad by 18 points and taking down Pensacola’s previously undefeated Booker T. Washington club at the Lady Indians Christmas Classic in Biloxi.
“We haven’t had to do a whole lot of coaching,” Sisco said. “We’ve had some kids who have played almost 100 games for us, so they know and they’ve taken it upon themselves.”
Chemistry basketball
These Lady Hawks know each other well. Many have played side-by-side since well before arriving at Hancock.
That familiarity shows up in key moments and has been a big factor for a team that has won 43 of its last 46 games dating back over a year.
“We’re always talking and communicating,” Cuevas said of her team’s chemistry. “We’re always picking each other up.”
“Everyone sticks together no matter what’s happening,” point guard Talana Bond added. “Even if we’re down, we’re all together and pushing together forward.”
The result has been emphatic. Of Hancock’s 16 wins, 14 have been by double-digits. Hancock is averaging 53.4 points per outing with a fundamental approach that relies on quick decision making and opportunistic defense.
At the center of it all is Cuevas, who combines her slashing abilities with a smooth outside jumper to fill up the box score.
In a recent 68-24 win over Gulfport, Cuevas served up a 30-ball that featured 13 unanswered points in the third quarter.
“Brooklyn Cuevas is a really good player,” Sisco said. “She’s worked hard and she deserves everything that has come her way. She’ll be the first to tell you she’s got some really good teammates that get her the ball, too.”
Crediting her teammates is, indeed, the first thing Cuevas does when her scoring prowess is brought up. “It’s because of them,” Cuevas said as she points to the playmaking of Bond and the rebounding of James.
The trio make up a core that also features Cambria Necaise and Jordan Bishop.
Their experience together has shaped a new perspective on the marathon season and sharpened their focus on what matters.
“We learned that our 3s don’t tend to fall in the big games, so we focus on getting to the goal and getting the foul,” James said. “We don’t depend on (three-point shots). We don’t depend on one player. We have a whole team.”
Sisco points to his team’s affinity for both rebounding and suffocating defense as the reasons why he thinks his team will be in the mix in the end.
James, who helped guide Hancock volleyball to a South State title and state championship game appearance, is aiming to finish the job with her hardwood Hawks.
“I’m going to win it this time. We’re going to win it”
Hancock’s ability to perform in big games will be put to the test on Thursday when the team travels to Biloxi to face Zaniya Johnson’s Indians in a match between Coast giants.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
