The Case for the Nelson County Lady Cardinals
It may seem like some time since the Lady Cardinals were challenging for the 5th Region crown. Actually just a season ago when they reached the Region Final at North Hardin high school before being dispatched by the powerful Elizabethtown Lady Panthers. 
Before that, it was the 2005 5th Region Championship at Marion County when they faced a surprising Washington County team. In both cases, Nelson County lost despite being one of the most successful girls programs over the years.
This season could be the year they finally break through as the team has been a balance of speed and efficiency over the last several months. Nelson County currently sits atop the 5th Region standings with Elizabethtown and John Hardin with an 18-2 record (both losses coming against Highlands and Scott County in Tournaments) and are averaging 70-points a game. They are led by several talented seniors in guard Shyla Calbert ( a starter since her middle school years), who currently leads the team in three-point shooting and is the second leading scorer. Senior Kira Harmon is a prolific scorer and the best rebounder on the team with 171 along with LeLe Linton with 94. 
Junior Marley Walls leads the team with 399-points and is a good defensive player. Even the midseason loss of longtime head coach Kelly Wood has not halted the Lady Cardinals momentum as they have continued to win since then. Perhaps the most impressive of their 18-wins was the 62-60 win over Elizabethtown back in December 6th when they overcame a 10-point deficit and came out with their first win over the Lady Panthers since 2012. It was a sweet win since Elizabethtown has eliminated Nelson County the last three years in the Region Tournament. Under interim coach Jacqueline Coleman, the Lady Cardinals should be a contender come March along with John Hardin and Elizabethtown.
