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2021-22 Season Recap
The Lady Jackets graduated six seniors in 2021 including four starters who accounted for 43 points. Junior Lindsey Cox was the lone returning starter this season. Facing a tough schedule, the Lady Jackets started the season slow at 3-5. But their challenging schedule provided the experience needed to transform the rebuild into the remix. The team was just 11-7 after Christmas break but went on a 13 game winning streak in the new year. The run included a second consecutive 6A Area 1 regular season and tournament championship. The highlight of the season being an overtime win over Blount on Coming Home Night. The Lady Jackets rallied from a 14pt deficit in the fourth quarter before a packed and rowdy student section. Lindsey Cox scored 19 of her 21 points in the fourth and overtime to clinch the area championship.
The Lady Jackets finished the season 24-8 falling to Helena in the sweet sixteen. The loss ended a seven year run as the South Regional Champion; six in 7A and one 6A. Along the way the Lady Jackets played 10 ranked teams defeating UMS, Jackson, Fairhope, Pine Forest and regional champions St. Paul’s. The team graduates two seniors Tilly Harper, leading rebounder, and Payton Barrett.
But the Lady Jackets will return four starters for the 2022-23 season. Team MVP Lindsey Cox returns for her senior season along with fellow senior and leading scorer Anna Reed McNeece; McNeece averaged 13pt and Cox 12pts. Both ladies were named to the Mobile All County team. Lindsey was also named second tall All State and will represent the Lady Jackets in the North/south Allstar game in July. Defensive stopper Emily Claire “EC” Harbaugh, Samantha Burroughs, and Lucy Cox are also returning seniors who started all or most of last season. Burroughs averaged 6pts a game with a deadly midrange jumper. Lucy Cox led the team in 3pt shooting 44 percentage on 33-74. Her twin sister finished, Lindsey, was 54-125 for 43%.
The remaining roster features talented underclassmen Albanie Dixon, Anna McCarron, Jayde Dempsey, Mattie McDonald and Reagan Burroughs who are sure to provide the depth, talent and size needed to start another run at a regional and state championship. The team’s area has changed to Baldwin County, Robertsdale and Spanish Fort but expectations remain the same.
The ladies were just as good in the classroom, with 13 of 17 varsity and junior varsity players on campus with a 3.0 or better and nine with a 3.5 or better; Lindsey Cox, Anna Reed McNeece, Tilly Harper, Anna McCarron, Mattie McDonald, Annabel Holbrook, Claire Elebesh, MaKinlee Butcher and Lucy Cox with a program high 4.3 GPA.
The JV team were 14-5 including a win over a varsity team. Sophomore Claire Elebash and 7th grader Reagan Burroughs led a very young team in scoring. In our inaugural middle school season, the girls fought hard to win eight games against much bigger, more experienced opponents. The Lady Jackets future is bright for years to come.
Women's Basketball Head Coach Carla Berry
Coach Carla Berry just finished her 13th season as the head girls’ basketball coach of the McGill-Toolen Catholic High School Lady Jackets. During her tenure the team has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen nine times, captured three 4A Area Championships, four 6A Area tournament titles and five 7A regular season and tournament championships along with eight South Regional Championships and Final Four appearances. In 2018, 2016 and 2015 the Lady Jackets were the 7A State Runner-up losing to Jeff Davis 54-53 in 2015 in a thrilling inaugural 7A title game. Berry has compiled a 270-80 record with a .771 winning percentage. In 2017-18, after leading a young team with no seniors to a 25-9 record and to the state finals, Berry was named the ASWA 2018 7A Coach of the Year. Berry also won the same award in 2015 as well as the Ron Findley Coach of the Year with a 33-3. Berry is a 1988 graduate of McGill where she was a four year letterwinner in basketball under legendary Coach Becky Dickinson. In her senior season, Berry helped lead the 29-0 Lady Jackets to a 6A State Championship and a No.6 USA Today national ranking; earning 6A All State honors. She continued her career as a student-athlete at Louisiana State University. During her LSU career, Berry made three NCAA tournament appearances and was a member of LSU's first SEC Tournament Championship team in 1991. Berry was a three time receiptant of the LSU Athletic Director’s Cup for Academic Excellence and a member of the 1992 SEC All Academic Team. In 1993 she earned a Bachelors in Mass Communication, Advertising. Berry's coaching resume spans 11 years on the collegiate level including stops at South Alabama, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, St. John's and LSU. In her six years as recruiting coordinator at LSU, Berry helped recruit three nationally top five classes culminating into one SEC Tournament title, three SEC Championships and five consecutive Final Four appearances. Berry coached 11 players at LSU who played professionally in the WNBA. Three of Berry's LSU players won WNBA Championships, Temeka Johnson, Seimone Augustus (3) and Sylvia Fowles (2). Augustus(3) and Fowles(4) are both Olympic Gold Medalist. During her tenure at McGill, Berry has had several players earned college scholarships to continue their basketball careers; Nya Valentine(Clemson/Shelton State), Shauntai Battle(Samford), Rekha Berry(Tennessee State), Lauren McKee(Alabama A&M), Ryan Sylvester(University of Mobile), Kinstin Davis(Huntingdon), Raquel Waller(Sewanee), and Sarah Pierre(Coastal Alabama).
