The Hamilton Christian girls basketball team is determined to not let their historic 2022- 2023 season be just a blip on the radar.

They are building toward another run to the state tournament after reaching the semifinals for the first time last season.

“It made the girls work even harder to get back to that point and get over that hump,” Hamilton Christian head coach Edwin Colbert said. “We return four out of the five starters, then add in two very good two young ladies to the group with a core of great young ladies that came back.

“It gave us more motivation and drive to get back to that point and continue to make history here at Hamilton.”

While they returned four starters from that team, Hamilton, the second-ranked team in select Division IV, had to make big changes to adjust to life without forward Journi Singleton, who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. Hamilton switched to a faster paced game plan and is 15-5 heading into its District 5-1A opener at home against Basile (8-9) at 6 p.m. today.

“Earlier, we were trying to find our identity,” Colbert said. “I struggled with that early in the year because, of course, we lost a 20-point, 10-rebound person last year in Journi Singleton.

“We were able to slow the ball down and do a lot of half-court sets, and this year we are more guard-oriented. Even my bigs have a more guard base set to where they can get up and down the court and dribble the basketball.

“We were able to play fast. Once I was able to find our identity, especially on the defensive end where we can run and trap and basically try to wear the other team out. We conditioned extremely hard. That is one of the major things that changed for us from a half-court set team to now an open run, get-up-and-down-the-court-style offense and more pressure defense.”

Hamilton tied with Oberlin (16-9) for second in the district behind champ East Beauregard (12-11), but Colbert says the Warriors are ready to make a run at the district title.

“I tell a lot of the college coaches that are recruiting our ladies that my district has some very good basketball players and some really good coaches,” Colbert said. “Last year we lost the district championship to East Beauregard, who returns everybody.

“I know that is going to be a difficult (game) as well. I feel that we have the capabilities and the firepower, especially on the defensive end, to control the bigs that they have down there at East Beauregard and to pull off the district championship that hasn’t been here in Hamilton in … I don’t know how long. You still have to worry about Oberlin, who is always going to be good, and you still have Merryville and Elton. It is going to be interesting, and we are going to be prepared.”

Senior point guard McKenzie DeVille leads the group of returners that includes senior power forward Riley Fontenot, junior guard Kailynn Dantley and eighth-grade shooting guard Kayla Harding.

The Warriors have won eight of their last nine games, including five consecutive. Offensive production is up for the Warriors, who have averaged 59.8 points a game in their last five, led by freshman shooting guard Destiny Ware. She joined the starting lineup this season after transferring from a school in Texas. The Warriors averaged 46.4 points a game in their first 11 games.

“We have been shooting, and I pray we can continue to do that,” Colbert said. “We have been shooting extremely well.

“Destiny Ware is shooting lights out. We came from a big tournament at Salmen where she shot 70 percent from the 3-point line and finished with 38 points in one of the games.

“She just continues to hit her open shots. She is very key for us because McKenzie demands a double or triple-team sometimes. Having shooters that can knock down open shots spreads the defense out and gives us better options.”

Underclassmen have stepped up on the defensive end, including Harding, seventh-grader Milah Ballou and 6-foot-2 freshman Madison Williams.

“Defensively, our rotation has gotten a whole lot better with my younger players,” Colbert said. “I play a lot of seventh- and eighth-graders.

“Ballou is going to be extremely good for us. She has been playing a lot of minutes and is the sixth man off the bench right now. That just opens the floor for us to play faster.

“(Williams) is working extremely hard and has developed into a major shot-blocker, and her offensive skills are getting extremely better for her second year of basketball.”