Coach Latreisha Moon’s Bainbridge High School Lady Cats have given Bainbridge and Decatur County basketball fans a strong two-year run the likes of which I have never before seen in my nearly 40 years of covering Bainbridge High school girls basketball teams.

The team—led by two-time Region 1AAAA player of the year Alexis Burke, as good a girls high school basketball player as you will probably find anywhere in the country; the deadly outside shooting of April Thomas; the strong inside play and rebounding of Bria Harris, and the ball handling of Brianna Wade—just completed the 2009-2010 season with an impressive 25-4 overall record and a perfect 8-0 Region 1AAAA South Sub-Region mark.

In 2008-2009 with BHS female senior athlete of the year Zaikia Dawson added to the mix, the Lady Cats went 21-6, won the Region 1AAAA championship and advanced to the state Class AAAA Final 4.

Coach Moon, who possesses an excellent basketball mind, has been successful at every level of competition as a player and coach.

As a player she was an All-Conference performer for the Lurleen B. Wallace Saints in Andalusia, Ala., and the Alabama A&M University Lady Bulldogs in Normal, Ala. As a senior All-American at Alabama A&M in 1998, she led the nation in rebounding with 17 a game. She also averaged 14 points a game her senior season.

Coach Moon continued her playing career after college, traveling to Finland where she played for that country’s Swat team.

Her coaching career has also been outstanding.

Before taking over the Lady Cats program, she spent two years as head coach of the Malone, Fla., High School girls team. She led Malone to impressive 26-6 and 22-10 records in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. She was Region 1AAAA coach of the year in 2006-2007 and 2008-2009. She has also coached the Region 1AAAA player of the year three times, Alexis Burke the last two years and Deja Cooper in 2006-2007.

I have considered it truly a pleasure the past four years to have had the opportunity to cover a player as outstanding as Burke. She was always there to make the big shot, dish out assists to teammates when she was double teamed or cut off an opponents drive to the basket. Next season I’m looking forward to following her college basketball career at the University of Illinois.

Congratulations to Coach Moon, Alexis and all the other Lady Cats. You have had a great season and it has been fun to cover and enjoy.