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Day: November 18, 2020

BASKETBALL: Carthage girls enter 2020 senior-laden and ready to take the next step

Posted on by Lucas Davis

With four starters coming back for Carthage coach Scott Moore’s second season, he is expecting that experience to be the driving force behind the Tigers taking the next step as a program.

“We return two of our top scorers, and our starting lineup will have four seniors and a sophomore point guard who started for us all of last season,” Moore said. “It’s nice to have that continuity. … It is a sense of security, but we also have four seniors in the starting lineup, so there is the challenge of making the last go-round the best go-round.”

Heading into year two at the helm, Moore is excited for the potential of success in 2020 after what he saw from his team a year ago when Carthage finished with a 12-14 record. He feels his lineup has the experience and correct mentality for taking that next step. 

“I think, especially with this returning group, basketball is a lot more of a priority,” Moore said. “That’s no offense to the seniors who graduated because they went off to play other sports in college, and that’s great. Now, we are starting to hit a niche where basketball is more important to the girls. There is a little more devotion and offseason work.”

Carthage is led by returning senior starters Katie Crowe, Lauren Wilson and Hailey Fullerton (11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 assists per contest last season), as well as sophomore point guard Kianna Yates (10.7 points, 5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals). Senior Brinna Ream figures to fill out the starting five. 

“They have done a good job of setting the pace as the official leaders of the team,” Moore said. “I feel our shooting is going to be better, our scoring is going to be better. That was a focus this offseason. 

“Hopefully, that will trigger our defense. … For us, our offense seems to give us energy, so if we get buckets, we can get into our pressing action. That’s where our energy is. If you don’t score, you can’t press, and they like pressing.”

What exactly is taking the next step for the Tigers? Aside from finishing with an above .500 record, Carthage has a goal of flipping the 2-7 Central Ozark Conference record from last season to earn a finish in the top half of the conference. Considering how many close games the Tigers were on the wrong side of a year ago, their aspirations are very possible. 

“We talked about it in the preseason, and I think we should be finishing in the top half of the conference,” Moore said. “That is where Carthage needs to take the next step, and this group needs to do that. … With this group being mature and being experienced coming in, we should be able to take that next step into the top half of the conference.”

The Carthage girls open the season at Hillcrest at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 24.

 

BASKETBALL: McAuley Catholic girls host jamboree; return 3 starters for the 2020 season;

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Even though the weather still says fall, the winter sports season officially started on Tuesday when McAuley Catholic girls basketball hosted Carthage, College Heights Christian and Miller in a four-team jamboree.

“It’s very exciting,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “When I first scheduled this, I thought we needed to bring some good teams here so we could get the girls used to playing the good teams. It turned out, we have three district champions and a very good Class 5 school in Carthage. The competition level is very high here. Everyone is super excited about playing today.” 

WARRIORS RETURN SOLID CORE FOR UPCOMING CAMPAIGN

After finishing with 21 wins in 2018 and 20 wins in 2019, McAuley Catholic is looking to make it three seasons in a row with 20 or more victories. While it won’t be an easy task, the Warriors have several key returning pieces to lead the team this season.

“It is going to take a lot of hard work and effort,” Howard said. “We have a good core coming back. We return three starters. … We are going to need a lot of our younger kids to mature and step up to fill those minutes. I think we will have growing pains early. As long as we work hard and stick together, I think we will be fine down the stretch.

“The beginning of our schedule is pretty difficult. We play tough teams at the start so our kids can get used to the speed of the high school game. Taking our bumps and bruises and learning from our mistakes early is going to be important for our success later.”

The Warriors return junior starters Kennedy DeRuy and Kayleigh Teeter as well as senior Gliza Damaso.

“They are going to mean everything,” Howard said. “Those three are who is going to keep this thing going. Kayleigh and Kennedy are my top two returning scorers, and Gliza is our senior leader who has a great defensive presence. Those three are really going to have to step up for us this year, and they will be a big factor in the success we have this year.”

Sophomore Lily Black and junior Abbey Cahalan figure to fill out the starting five. As far as coming off the bench, the Warriors lack experience in their rotational players.

“Depth is going to be a weakness this year,” Howard said. “We have some younger players who will grow and develop the more time they get on the court.”

Those younger players coming off the bench include freshmen Kloee Williamson and Avery Gardner, and sophomore Aaliyah Perez. Of course, with so many younger players stepping into larger roles this season, the leadership and guidance from DeRuy, Teeter and Damaso will be crucial. 

“From the first day of practice, they have stepped up and been leaders on and off the court,” Howard said. “They are great people and great human beings. They have stepped up and will help out the younger kids.”

McAuley opens the season as hosts to Liberal on Nov. 24.

Basketball: Webb City girls return solid core, have goals set high

Posted on by Jason Peake

With four returning starters and seven players with prior varsity experience, the Webb City girls basketball team will put an experienced group on the court this winter.

And with that experience comes heightened expectations. 

“We have a good core back and we’re excited about the upcoming season,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. “The group back has played a lot of varsity minutes for us over the last three years. We feel like if we can keep everybody healthy and work hard in practice to get better, we can be a pretty good basketball team.” 

Senior guard Jaydee Duda returns after earning all-conference and all-district honors last season. Duda averaged 14 points and four steals per game last winter.  

The 5-foot-8 Duda had a lot of good moments during Tuesday’s jamboree that also featured Carl Junction, Mount Vernon and Walnut Grove. 

“Jaydee worked hard in the offseason,” Robbins said. “I think she can be real effective from the shooting guard spot. She showed tonight that she can run the point guard spot as well. She shot the ball pretty well tonight. And she did a good job of getting to the basket and creating for others. I think she can have a really good senior season.”

Webb City’s Jaydee Duda puts up a shot in the lane against Carl Junction on Tuesday during the jamboree inside the Cardinal Dome.

Senior point guard Sierra Kimbrough (5-5) earned all-district honors last year after averaging eight points, three assists and three steals per game, while senior shooting guard Raven Vaughn (5-9) averaged seven points and five rebounds a game last year. 

Kimbrough and Vaughn are both threats from beyond the 3-point arc and will look to provide senior leadership. 

Kenzie Robbins, a 5-10 junior, returns after averaging six points and five rebounds a game last year. Robbins, who is coming off a knee injury, can provide an inside presence. 

Also back is Peyton Hawkins, 5-7 junior guard who averaged four points and three boards a game last year. 

“All of those girls played a lot of quality minutes for us last year and we look for them to do a lot of good things,” Robbins said. “And Peyton’s one of those players who will always do the little things for us.”

Another player Coach Robbins expects to contribute nicely is 5-11 junior forward Josie Spikereit, who sat out last season due to an injury.

“It’s nice to have Josie back,” Robbins said. “She missed quite a bit of her freshman year and then all of last year. She’s worked extremely hard to get herself back into playing shape. I thought she had a good night tonight. She did a lot of good things. She was a physical presence inside.” 

Other juniors on the roster are Austyn Mickey and Ripley Shanks. Sophomores on the roster are Izzy Lopez, Kate Brownfield and Kylie Jennings.

In 2019-20, Webb City won 13 games and ended the season in a district championship game for the second straight season. This year, the Cardinals will look to go a step further. 

Robbins, who is assisted by Bre Faircloth, Kathy Harris, Morgan Brodie and Morgan Brightwell, said there’s a lot to like about this year’s group.

“I think we can be a very good defensive team,” Robbins said. “I think we can be an effective and efficient offensive team if we continue to move the ball like we did at times tonight.” 

Webb City will begin the season on Dec. 3 at the Carthage Invitational. And with the pandemic in mind, Robbins noted he’s more than pleased the season is set to begin.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the kids get the opportunity to get out there and do something they love,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to be out there on the court.” 

Webb City coach Lance Robbins talks to his during Tuesday’s jamboree at the Cardinal Dome.

NEW LOOK: Carl Junction girls return one starter from last year’s undefeated team

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Carl Junction girls basketball team definitely had a new look when it took the court for Tuesday night’s jamboree at Webb City High School.

Hit hard by graduation following a historic and memorable 2019-20 campaign, the Bulldogs have just one returning starter for the 2020-21 season. 

“With just one starter back we obviously look a lot different and so our approach is that we have to continue to make progress,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “We’re going to start one senior and the rest are underclassmen. That could be tough to start with, but our kids will work hard and get better. They know the tradition we have in place.”

The Bulldogs captured a Central Ozark Conference championship and finished 28-0 last year. Carl Junction had advanced to the Class 4 semifinals when the season ended in heartbreaking fashion, as the state basketball tournaments were canceled due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. 

Last year’s senior class played a part in four district championships and three Final Four berths. 

With that, the Bulldogs must overcome the loss of a stellar senior class that was led by Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year Katie Scott, who has taken her talents to Grand Canyon University. In all, Carl Junction lost four starters—Scott, Dani Wrensch, Shila Winder and Taylor Hughes.

“They had talent, experience, heart and dedication,” Shorter said of last year’s seniors. 

Carl Junction’s lone returning starter is 5-foot-6 sophomore point guard Destiny Buerge. As a freshman, Buerge averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds and three steals a game, earning honorable mention all-COC honors for her efforts.

Carl Junction’s Destiny Buerge looks to score in the lane against Webb City’s Izzy Lopez during Tuesday’s jamboree at the Cardinal Dome. Photo by Jason Peake.

Shorter expects Buerge to lead the way this winter. 

“She has improved,” Shorter said. “She had a real good summer, with us and with her AAU team.” 

Junior guard Jessa Hylton also returns with plenty of varsity experience. Hylton, who is coming off a stellar volleyball season, averaged 6.5 points and two steals last season. Carl Junction’s lone senior is Hannah Lee, a 6-foot post player.

Shorter expects Hylton and Lee to take on key roles this winter. 

“The biggest thing early is getting our underclassmen like Destiny and Jessa to start leading,” Shorter said. “They need to help Hannah with that.”

Also back with prior varsity experience are junior guard Ellie Lawson and sophomore guard Hali Shorter. 

Sophomore Allie Wrestler and freshmen Kylie Scott, Anna Burch and Hailey Merwin round out the roster. The 6-1 Scott is the younger sister of Katie and Megan Scott. Kylie Scott and Burch both saw significant playing time on Tuesday night. 

Shorter noted he saw a lot of good things from his team during Tuesday’s scrimmages against Webb City, Mount Vernon and Walnut Grove. 

“This was a good litmus test for us,” Shorter said. “It lets us see where we’re at and what we need to work on. We have a lot of work to do. But this is a new group and I think, if they stick with it, they can be pretty good.”

Shorter is assisted by Cory Kerbs, Mikaela Burgess, Nate Loewen and Karen Lee.  

The Bulldogs will host the annual Carl Junction Classic beginning on Nov. 30.

 

Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter talks to his Bulldogs before a scrimmage against Webb City on Tuesday night.

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