The Saturday practice proved how savvy a basketball player Madison “Madi” Edwards has become for Byron Nelson.
On a play near the foul line, new junior varsity coach Shelby Adamson – one year removed from playing in college at Tarleton State – provided the defense on the junior small forward. Adamson covered the right side when the ball suddenly left Edwards’ left hand toward the net.Swish.“She was like, ‘Where did that come from?”’ Nelson coach Darren Wilson said. “Madi just kind of shrugged it off and said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been working on it.”’Edwards’ version of that play: “I’ve been working on my left hand a lot. Now, I just go with my instincts depending on where the defense is. Sometimes, Coach Wilson tells me I have to stop thinking and trust myself and play.”That’s probably not a bad idea. Wilson calls the 5-8 Edwards the glue for this team as it returned to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Nelson (20-13), which went in as District 5-4A’s No. 3 seed, played Saginaw in the Class 4A Region I bi-district round at Justin Northwest high school after the press deadline. If the Lady Bobcats had won, they would get the winner of Aledo-Burleson in the area round. The girls were looking for their first postseason win in school history.Edwards is finishing her second varsity year at Nelson averaging 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, and is playing very well defensively. She has recorded several 10-rebound games. She provides so much flexibility that Wilson can play her at the point guard, backup point guard, the small forward and the power forward.The growth in the game has been noteworthy as the Lady Bobcats reached two goals this year: They reached 20 wins and returned to the postseason.Plus, she helped change the image of the program. Whereas most people likely looked at Nelson rising or falling with what guard Tralyn Woodard does, don’t be surprised if you see Edwards’ name mentioned somewhere in the District 5-4A all-district lists.“All the hard work has paid off for her,” Wilson said. “She’s the most versatile player I have. She defends the post and plays in the paint. There’s no half-speed on anything. It’s all or nothing. That’s what I love about her.”And that extends into her school work as she is ranked No. 2 in her junior class. Edwards has already taken the SAT once and plans on taking it again.“I look at the classroom as something that if I’m school, I’m going to give it everything I have,” she said. “Why not? That’s why I’m here.”Nelson’s program wants to make playing in mid-February a habit. Wilson only carried 10 on the roster and loses two seniors in posts Dee Robinson and Modell Simms. The core of Edwards, Woodard, Shaila Wolter and Sydney Smallwood are all returning.“It helps that we had so much coming back from last year and a lot of us will be back next year,” Edwards said. “There’s better chemistry, and we know what all of us want to do on the court. When we went through those losses, we just reminded ourselves of our goals and to make sure we stayed focused.”NorthwestThe Lady Texans closed their season on Feb. 5 with a 61-36 loss to Keller Central. They finished the season 2-28 and 0-14 in District 4-5A.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
