By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SAND ROCK – A little over 25 years ago, Locust Fork and Jacksonville State basketball standout Lisa Bates took over the Sand Rock girls basketball program. Throughout her coaching career, Bates has worked with what she’s given, squeezing every ounce she can out of her girls like an orange.
The 2024-25 Lady Wildcats are a perfect example of that. Her latest undersized-yet-scrappy bunch improved to 7-2 on Friday evening with a 79-29 thrashing of Pleasant Valley.
But it wasn’t just another win for Bates and the Lady Wildcats. It was Bates’ 500th of her career.
“That’s a big number. It just means I’m getting old and have been doing this a long time,” Bates joked.
In all seriousness though, Bates gives credit to her family and the many girls she’s coached throughout her career for reaching this latest milestone. Her father Tommy Baswell and brother-in-law Kevin Browder are two of her assistant coaches. Her sister Laura helps keep the Lady Wildcats’ stats. Mother Jean Baswell is always in the stands cheering Sand Rock on. Lisa’s son Eli and husband Keith also assists with the basketball and football teams.
“It really is a family affair,” Bates said.
That family also includes her girls, past and present. They’ve all helped Bates average 21 wins per season.
“It’s a lot of work and a lot of energy, but it’s a lot of fun too. It’s what I enjoy doing,” Bates said.
Bates said she didn’t tell her current girls about approaching her latest milestone victory, but they knew ahead of time, thanks to Tommy telling them.
Perhaps that extra boost helped five Sand Rock players score in double figures, and every girl who dressed out scored at least two points.
Hadlie Weaver led the Lady Wildcats with 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. She also had four rebounds and an assist. Peyton Johnson delivered 13 points. Maddie Clanton added 12 points, eight boards, seven steals and an assist.
Macey Pruitt and Kaylee Burns both netted 11 points. Pruitt also posted four rebounds, an assist and steal. Burns grabbed six boards and had a steal. Molly Grace Lay finished with eight points, 13 assists, nine steals and three rebounds.
“I think we’ve surprised a lot of folks,” Bates said of the Lady Wildcats’ start to this season. “Everybody thought we were going to be down this year. We lost eight seniors, but this little group is so fun to watch. These young ones are like little piranhas. They may not always make the best decisions, but they’re always going to play hard. That’s what the people in the stands are loving. They’re so fun to watch. I think they are working together well and have good chemistry. That makes it fun. They work hard and seem to enjoy what they’re doing and they’re good kids.”
And they’re also a reflection of their head coach.
“They’re part of who I am and how we’ve developed the program,” Bates said. “I’m just proud of all the girls who have been through the program and have toughed it out with me. There’s been a lot of girls contributing to that 500.”
