Several Pirates look to excel with time on court

The Norwood Pirates’ basketball team is coming off a 24-3 campaign where they did lose five key players to graduation, with two of them playing the sport on the collegiate level.
Seniors Carder Kelly, Andrew Bradshaw, Pierce Lawson and Hunner Finch will be leading this year’s squad. Kelly is known for his shooting ability while Lawson is expected to have a breakout year.
Newcomers expected to make an impact include Remington Hill, Brady Vaughan, Laken Coatney, Carson Vaughan and Drae Bradshaw.
Norwood head coach Shane Chadwell, who is entering his 12th year with the district, said his players have went against some good competition the last few years in practice and it should pay off for them in 2025-2026. He is excited for this current group of players to have their chance to shine.
Defensively, his Pirates will look to be solid and get stops in the half court. There is a goal to get up and down the floor and score in transition.
Players lost to graduation include Cooper Vaughan, who is playing at Missouri State University-West Plains and Peyton McDaris, who is playing at Kirkwood Community College. Other graduates included Gunner Bradshaw, Gary Williams and Noah Drake.
Norwood opened their season on Nov. 21 with a 82-22 win over Dora and played Billings just after press time on Nov. 25.
They will take on Gloria Deo Academy on Dec. 2.