Simone Sadler, Camila Vicioso and Kiersten Rogers giving Lady Warhawks future proof performances

The 2025-26 season hasn’t quite gone as Veterans had hoped.

Tracy Fendley and the staff knew losing their top scorer and several other starters was going to make things difficult. Bringing “new” players into the fold isn’t easy and the Lady Warhawks experienced that firsthand.

They began their season 1-6 before winning three straight. That 67-47 win against Perry on Dec. 15 was Veterans’ last until Jan. 10 against Houston County. After three more losses they picked up another win against the Lady Bears, and after Monday’s victory against Sumter County the Lady ‘Hawks are quietly 3-1 in their last four games.

But even past this year’s playoff run, there’s plenty for Veterans to look forward to.

Simone Sadler and Kiersten Rogers, two underclassmen, to go with junior Camila Vicioso are providing performances that will last past what’s been a down year for the Lady ‘Hawks.

Sadler is a freshman guard who was tasked very early with ball security on a team that had very little.

Her handle was unsure and she had work to do in terms of dribbling under pressure. Fast forward 23 games and she reliably controls the ball and is by far the best perimeter defender.

She’s quick, hounds opposing ball handlers and jets out in transition after a turnover.

Sadler garnered a lot of praise from Fendley in their most recent win against Sumter County, as did Vicioso.

Vicioso had a game-high 22 points against Sumter County after bouncing back from a bad game on Friday against Thomas County Central.

Going back to last season she was versatile and Fendley had grand wishes for the player she would become. She can dribble, shoot, pass and plays one through five depending on the matchup.

It’s not often you find a player like her, and the Lady ‘Hawks get to keep her for one more year.

Rogers is the X-Factor, the ceiling-raiser. Her potential is sky high and Fendley has said as much several times since her arrival. The sophomore had an offseason knee surgery and is just now getting close to completely trusting her leg.

“I feel like she’s just getting to being 100% in trusting her leg. Offensively when we couldn’t get the ball in or up the floor she was the person who could get open and got the ball up the floor for us,” Fendley said. “She can score in transition. She’s just so explosive.”

Explosiveness is certainly one of her greatest weapons. Whether it be in transition or off the dribble driving to the rim, few can match her first step.

A knee surgery for players like that, as Rogers is experiencing, can take a long time to adjust to. But Fendley has seen progress throughout the season.

“Kiersten’s coming around. I feel like she’s putting a lot of work in,” she continued. “She’s been frustrated at times, but I feel like it’s the learning again after the knee surgery…we knew it was going to take her some time, but I feel like she’s getting more comfortable and more confident with it.”

There are still things Fendley thinks she can improve on to aid that explosiveness, especially as she becomes an upperclassman next year.

“She’s got to get in the weight room and get stronger. She’s got to be able to get up and down the floor a little bit more, she needs to build her endurance up,” Fendley said. “She really needs to go hard in the weight room in the spring.”

But physical attributes aren’t the only ones Fendley is looking for.

“We’re really looking for her to step it up and be more of a leader, especially scoring wise. Because she can score, she can get to the basket,” Fendley said. “She’s still recovering, she’s still not 100% from her knee, and I don’t think she will be until next season.”

There’s still noise to be made this season for the Lady ‘Hawks, but the future looks bright.