By Chris Villani

Sports Writer

Led by a talented scorer and a strong defensive-first mindset, head coach Missy Rhodes is hoping that her Nipmuc girls’ basketball team meets the expectations she has set this winter.

“I think we have a lot of potential,” Rhodes said. “We have a really green group; I only have three returners who played a lot of minutes last year, so we have a lot of new players who are looking to make an impact.”

She added, “it's promising, we have a lot of talent.”

Nipmuc missed out on the state tournament a season ago and graduated five seniors. The Warriors have just a single returning starter in senior Alexa Gibson, but she is one of the most explosive scorers in the area. “Gibby,” as her teammates affectionately call her, burst into the season with 23-and 29-point outings, adding 15 rebounds in the second game.

“She is a go-to player, she knows that, her teammates know that,” Rhodes said of the 6-foot-1 forward. “We do well when the ball is in her hands and she is embracing that role. She does everything to put us in a position to win and she is a coach’s dream. She works hard and she is very coachable.”

Gibson is a threat in large part because she can knock down shots from the perimeter, even though she is often the tallest player on the floor. 

“She can score from three-point land, she can score inside, she can block shots, rebound, she is a game changer,” Rhodes said. “If teams don’t stop her, she can go off.”

Gibson is helped on offense by senior Riley Webster, who is both new to Nipmuc and back on the floor after battling injuries.

“She loves basketball and she is looking to do big things for us this year,” Rhodes said.

Junior Meg McCobb is one of three returners who earned significant minutes a season ago. She plays on the wing and is adding some punch to the Nipmuc offense. Sophomore Paige Anderson is a strong post presence who can also step out onto the wing and knock down shots.

Another sophomore, Maddie Grant, is the team’s starting point guard.

“She has improved in the offseason and she is ready to have the ball in her hands,” Rhodes said.

Nipmuc has its sights set on the Dual Valley Conference title this year and a spot in the state tournament. But Rhodes is adhering to the time honored coaching cliché of taking things one day at a time and being strong on the defensive end.

“I think we are trying to find our identity but we want to be defensively solid and find different ways to score and put pressure on teams,” she said.