The Maplesville High School Lady Red Devils had a successful 2003-04 season, but the ending was a bitter pill to swallow.

The Lady Red Devils finished last season with a 15-10 record, but lost by one point in the area tournament final to Autaugaville, 42-41, and to Edward Bell, 65-50, in the sub-region. This, however, is the start of a new season – one that coach Eric Bailey hopes will have everyone gunning for his team.

The Lady Red Devils have 14 on the roster this season, including 10 returnees. It’s that amount of experience that Bailey believes will push his team deep into the postseason.

“Our juniors and seniors have been playing together forever,” said Bailey, entering his seventh season with the Lady Red Devils. “That experience is going to put a big target on our backs. We should be able to make it to the regional tournament and hopefully we can play in the state tournament.”

The players that Bailey hopes will get Maplesville to the pinnacle are five-foot, eight-inch junior point guard Daphne Green, sophomore shooting guard Jamie Deloach (5-8), sophomore guard Kassandra Bell (5-6), junior center Brittany Seales (5-9), junior power forward Melissa Pryor (5-6) and junior shooting guard Anna Atchison (5-5).

Others expected to play a great deal this season are sophomore Morgan Hamner (5-11), eighth-grade shooting guard Tanisha Bailey (5-7), freshman power forward Lora Lee-Nichols (5-8), junior small forward/number three guard Brittany Childers (5-6), seventh-grade shooting guard Heather Chambers (5-4), eighth-grade number three guard Bridget Nichols (5-6), freshman center Kelsey Langston (5-10) and seventh-grade number three guard Melanie Andrews (5-6).

“Making the state tournament is going to be a challenge for me and for them,” Bailey said. “We have the potential. One game we may show up, another game we may not. We have to be focused every time we step out on the court.”

Bailey said his team’s strength lies in its guard play, ball handling and inside play, while the Lady Red Devils must improve on moving the basketball and making cuts.

“We have a lot of height, too,” he said. “We’re going to be a better post team. We just have to make better moves to the basket.

“We may face a team with five guards out there,” Bailey added. “If we do, we’ll have to make adjustments on defense. We can run if we have to run. We can slow it down, too.”

The Lady Red Devils open their season Saturday at Catholic.