Roundball Renaissance: Reviving the Girls' Basketball Program

The CCHS Lady Blue Devils kickstarted a new season on November 22, 2024, with a scrimmage against John Champe High School, followed by another scrimmage that following week against Monticello High School, and then they officially started their season on December 2, 2024 with a 2-day tournament which they found themselves to be victorious with two wins; William Monroe (64-45) and Manassas Park (80-17) on the second day of the tournament.

The last time I spoke to Corey Hutcherson, head coach of Girls Varsity, he mentioned that this was a major rebuilding season.

"Last year was a year to keep building on the future...a rebuilding year," he started. "This year, I wanted to get more athletic and faster. I needed to have kids who believed that hard work pays off! So we started with 100% effort and 100% attitude and unfortunately had to let some veterans go that hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity that was placed in front of them!" he exclaimed. He made sure to explain that if the gym was open in the summer and off-season and you did not frequent the gym for conditioning, the program he was improving was not the right fit for you. "Once I prayed to God that morning," he continued, "and He gave me my marching orders, I knew I was going in the right direction."

The top 2 scorers for both games in their Winter tournament were A’myah Robinson and Kelley Hutcherson. If I can say so myself, this team looks like a well-oiled machine. Always room for improvement, but everything is where it should be.

"The Runnin and Gunnin Lady Blue Devils are for real!" he proclaimed. Robinson (aka Do Something For Me) had 24 points against William Monroe and then followed that with a 34-point performance against Manassas Park in which she only played 3 quarters! Stay tuned in because she's just heating up!" he stated. "Hutcherson (aka Ms.Everything) had 20 points against William Monroe and then followed that performance with 24 more points against Manassas Park and only played 3 quarters."

With this being Kelley Hutcherson’s last year with the Lady Blue Devils, she is extremely close to being the 3rd person under Hutcherson’s coaching career to hit 1,000 points. "She is heating up," he stated, "and hopefully, she will reach those 1,000 points. Currently, she sits at 797 points, so the wait is definitely on"!

He then posed the question, "Can Kelley get to 1,000 points and seal her name in the record books as a Blue Devil 1,000-point scorer?" That is a question that will be answered at a later time.

From seeing a few practices to watching scrimmages and then being able to catch the tournament, and it’s still really early in the season, these girls are hungry for it, and they have what it takes to be successful! This team is running with whatever comes at them, and it doesn’t seem like they will let off the reigns any time soon! And when you talk about a family, make sure behind that definition is this team: JV and Varsity.

The vibe is the big question of this season. Coach Hutcherson titled this season's vibe as: It's A Party. This means that we are going to win and have fun doing it! "We have a great group of girls," he stated, “from our Seniors down to our 8th graders. Great positive attitudes and kids that ask how long and never why! The rest of the season should be fast and exciting!" stated Hutcherson.

The next game is tonight and away at Armstrong High School, home of the Wildcats. This team went 13-9 last season and currently holds a record of 1-0.

If I were you, I would catch a game or two (or three or, better yet, the whole season) to witness this greatness for yourself. You heard it from me first: I believe this team has something special that I haven’t seen in Culpeper in a long time.