SPIRO LADY BULLDOGS
COACH: Dennis Wright
Record: 23-7
OUTLOOK
The Spiro Lady Bulldogs return nearly their entire roster from last year’s area tournament run, giving head coach Dennis Wright plenty of reason for optimism entering the 2025-26 season. With a veteran core, length at multiple positions, and improved guard play, the Lady Bulldogs are built for another postseason push. “We return the majority of our roster from last year’s area tournament team,” Wright said. “We believe that we will have a solid 8-9 player rotation early on and might develop more depth as the season progresses depending on the development of the freshman.”
A senior- and junior-heavy backcourt leads the charge for Spiro. Rylee Darneal (5-8, Jr.) returns after averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.40 assists, and 2.2 steals per game — a do-it-all guard who sets the tone on both ends. Senior Aaliyah Harris (5-6, Sr.) adds 1.4 points, 1.0 rebound, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal per game, while fellow senior Kiana Craig (5-6, Sr.) brings 3.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals, giving Spiro valuable stability and experience in ball-handling and perimeter defense.
In the frontcourt, senior Laylah Steele (5-11, Sr.) contributes 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per outing, while junior Kamdyn McClure (5-10, Jr.) adds 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. However, the anchor of the lineup is unquestionably Brynleigh Graham (6-3, Sr.), a Top 100 nominee who averaged a dominant 12.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.3 steals last season. Her ability to control the paint on both ends gives Spiro a major advantage.
The Lady Bulldogs also return Katie Perdue (5-7, Sr.), who comes back from injury, and feature a group of talented underclassmen ready to grow into meaningful roles: Carlee Trusty (5-11, So.), Bayleigh Davis (5-5, So.), Anniston Carter (5-6, Fr.), Yasely Garcia (5-6, Fr.), Rhylann Brown (5-8, Fr.), Sophia Bowling (5-8, Fr.), Heavenly Mingo-Worst (5-5, Fr.), and Kinsley Craig (5-4, Fr.).
With size across the board and improved ball security, Wright knows what this group is capable of. “Our guard play should be more solid this year as we are a junior- and senior-laden team,” he said. “We have really good size and length that should really help us defensively. If we can stay healthy, we should be able to make another deep playoff run.”
The pieces are in place — experience, depth, productive scoring, and one of the state’s top posts — positioning the Lady Bulldogs for another standout season.
