While Carl Junction lost several key contributors from last season to graduation, the cupboard is far from bare as the Bulldogs look to continue their winning ways while under new management for the upcoming season.
Carl Junction is without SG Destiny Buerge (Pittsburg State), G Klohe Burk, G Hali Shorter and G Allie Wrestler after graduation and the Bulldogs are no longer under the tutelage of head coach Brad Shorter.
Now, CJHS is under the leadership of Ryan Odaffer and he has a large group of upperclassmen and a pair of starters coming back to the team in his first season as head coach.
“I am extremely excited to get back into coaching,” Odaffer said. “This is a great bunch of girls on and off the floor, which makes coaching fun. The girls are ready to compete in the COC and the postseason again this year.”
Leading the list of returners for Bulldogs is 6-foot-3 senior F Kylie Scott, an all-Central Ozark Conference performer and Oral Roberts commit who averaged 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game as a junior, and junior G/F Dezi Williams, who averaged 7.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals a season ago.
“If she’s not the best, she is one of the best all-around players in the area,” Odaffer said of his returning anchors. “I am looking forward to Kylie taking over a leadership role this year. It’s going to be exciting to watch her show off her potential this season.
“Dezi is loaded with talent and can take over a game on either end of the floor. This is the season Dezi will get to take her to another level if she wants to.”
Also back on the varsity squad for Coach Odaffer is senior Anna Burch, junior Shaye Buerge and sophomore Jadyn Howard.
New to the varsity level this year will be junior Delaney Harris, junior Kenna Ellison and sophomore Madison Hembree.
“We have a few girls with a lot of experience and then a lot that are going to have to fill some big voids,” Odaffer said. “They understand that it will have to be a team effort if we are going to win games. They have been working extremely hard to uphold the standard of the past 10 years for the Lady Bulldogs.”
After more than 70 wins as a program over the last three seasons, including a 30-2 campaign a year ago that ended in a second-place finish in all of Class 5, the Bulldogs may be in for a slower start this season, but that is common when a team is in transition. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean CJ can’t be where they want to be by the season’s end—competing for a state title—but to do that, they will be relying heavily on the production and leadership of Scott and Williams while the inexperienced players get used to playing at the varsity level.
“Our two returning starters Kylie Scott and Dezi Williams will have to set the tone and lead our team,” Odaffer said. “If they can be the force on both ends, we have several other players ready to step in and follow their lead. It might take some time to adjust to the new players and system, but we hope to see improvement each game and each week throughout the season.
“We are very inexperienced and the only way you get that is by playing. So, I believe we will be a different team by the end of the year. The kids just have to buy in and work hard. If they do that, the results will take care of themselves.”
Carl Junction opens the season with three tournaments, hosting the CJ Classic from Nov. 27-30 before taking part in the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic (Dec 7-9) and then the Lady Mustang Classic (Dec. 11-13).
