By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

A season ago, the Montevallo girls basketball team made it farther in the state tournament than any other girls’ team in the county, and realistically could have made a deeper run. The Lady Bulldogs held a 31-17 halftime lead over Munford High School in their 4A Sweet Sixteen matchup on Feb. 16, 2015 in Montgomery before unraveling in the second half and losing in heartbreaking fashion by a final of 53-49. Now, a year later, head coach Tena Niven is trying to push her team to even bigger heights.

“Our goal is not just to win the area championship,” Niven said. “We want to win the region championship. We don’t want to just go back to the region tournament, we want to win it and get to Birmingham (home of the state Final Four). That’s how we’re going to determine our success this season.”

Niven does not have a single senior on her roster this year, which is the first time that has happened in her 15 years at the helm.

“This is the first time I’ve had no seniors, I think,” Niven said. “We’re young.”

Montevallo’s starting five consists of two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. Dakota Dubose and Emri Hannah, the two juniors, are the resident elders on the roster. Lauren Lilly and Alasha Reed are the sophomores and the freshman is Takila Hill. Lilly is the defending Shelby County girls basketball Player of the Year, an accolade she earned as just a freshman a season ago after averaging 16 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Her numbers are up from a season ago as well, and she’s averaging right over 20 points a contest this year, according to Niven.

“We’re still pushing her,” Niven said. “We’re trying to see how good she can be.”

Montevallo was 13-5 this season as of Jan. 7. The five losses the Lady Bulldogs had suffered to that point all came against bigger schools and some of the state’s top teams in Hoover, Charles Henderson, Briarwood, Muscle Shoals and Lauderdale County. Lauderdale County is just a 3A school, but has won four consecutive 3A state titles and holds the AHSAA record for consecutive wins by a girls or boys team at 86, which was snapped earlier this year by Madison Academy.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” Niven added. “We don’t want to just play people who are competitive in our area, but people who are competitive all over the state.”

This Montevallo team looks similar to past Lady Bulldog teams in the sense that they are predicated around pushing the tempo. They like to put pressure on the ball and get out in transition at every turn. The more offense they can create as a direct result of their defense, the happier Niven is.

If all goes according to plan, this Lady Bulldog team may be running all the way to Birmingham.