De Soto has plenty of starting talent with all-JCAA first teamers Madalyn Bone and Kendall Boyer and second teamer Sarah Peoples aboard this season.
So it’s hard to imagine how the Dragons lost their final seven games – the final four by 10 or more points – of last season and finished 7-19.
Bone just completed an all-conference season on the softball diamond and she brings a unique set of skills to the hardwood. She led the Dragons in scoring (14.5 points) and assists (6.5) playing point guard. Fearless driving to the basket, Bone just missed a team record for free-throw attempts in a season with 201. She could also step outside and shoot with accuracy as she made 29 3-point baskets.
Boyer plays the post and she just missed setting the school record for rebounds per game with 12.2. Boyer chipped in with 11.8 points per contest.
Peoples, the school’s standout during track and cross country season, led the Dragons with 34 treys and 118 steals from her guard position.
De Soto head coach Sam Rauls said the final two starting spots are under construction as seniors Abi Waymire, Abbi Sampson, Sydney Berry and Meagan Blanchard content for them.
“We are a team that will adjust to the flow of the game,” Rauls said. “We want to set the tempo but are also not afraid to change what we are doing based on the play of the game.”
Rauls said the Dragons don’t have a true sixth player to come off the bench, but it will be deeper than the last couple of seasons.
“We have many girls who can contribute in many different ways and at different times,” Rauls said.
De Soto starts the season by hosting a tournament which begins on Nov. 27. The Dragons lost to Farmington in the first round of Class 4 District 2 last season.
“As we saw last year, anything can happen in our district so we are hoping to make a little magic of our own this season,” Rauls said.
Eagles want to continue upward mobility
Ronda Hubbard made an instant imprint on the Grandview girls basketball program last season.
Grandview posted its best record (22-4) in school history and won the Jefferson County Activities Association small schools championship in Hubbard’s first season as head coach.
Hubbard was no stranger to success, as she won two state championships coaching Springfield Catholic (1992-1993) and had a 57-27 record at Missouri Southern University in Joplin.
The Eagles to lost to Steelville in the Class 3 District 3 tournament last year.
“Certainly our goals include another conference title,” said Hubbard, who was the JCAA Coach of the Year last season. “Our program has yet to win a district title and that is at the top of our goals list. We want to put back to back 20-win seasons together, win the tournament we are in, and have a team (grade-point average) of 3.5.”
Lofty goals, for sure. But when you have the league’s reigning Player of the Year in the post, it makes it easier to set those targets.
Senior Macy Ketcherside earned the honor in her first year with the Eagles after being named to the second team on the large schools side the year before at De Soto. Ketcherside averaged 16.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season. She needs 368 points to reach 1,000 in her career.
Seniors Melina Eaker and Katelyn McGlaughlin are the other two returning starters. Eaker, the point guard, had 48 steals last season and McGlaughlin added 50 assists, 65 steals and was an honorable mention all-league selection.
Senior Meaghan Faust, Junior Kaylyn Sparks and sophomore Isabelle Kuckza were on the varsity last season and all are vying for starting jobs this year. Faust was the Eagles’ sixth player a season ago and averaged 4.9 points and had 77 steals. Senior Cecilia Diederichs returns to the team after missing last season with an ACL injury.
“I expect us to have more depth from a year ago as many players have put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Hubbard said. “I’m expecting bigger roles and key play out of sophomores Hailey Harlow, Sarra Faust and Jordyn Zoph.”
Under Hubbard, the Eagles are a defense-first team, which is the basis of creating offensive opportunities. Hubbard said she believes the Eagles are one of the few teams in the area that plays man-to-man defense.
“Offensively, we try to spread things out where we can attack and give room for our posts to work,” Hubbard said.
The Eagles open the season at Festus on Nov. 17.
Hawks have to replace Close
Lexi Close was the focal point of the Hillsboro offense for the past two seasons, but she graduated last spring and the Hawks will need to find new players replace her 22 points per game.
Senior guard Carlie Sanders is coming off of a record-breaking softball season (Sanders set the state record with 21 home runs) and returns to the court after averaging 9.3 points and 6 assists per game and being named to the league’s second team. She’s a four-year starter who holds the school career record for assists (376) and steals (307).
Junior guard Kelsey Boyd (honorable mention) was also part of Hillsboro’s district softball champion and belted 15 homers; last fall on the hardwood, she averaged 8.1 points and sank a team-high 40 3-point baskets. Boyd and Sanders are just two of several softball players to play basketball.
“I would anticipate our top players to be Carlie and Kelsey,” said Hillsboro head coach Joe Fehlker, who begins his ninth season.
Senior point guard Lillie Schoenky and junior forward Hannah Vaughn have earned starting jobs and Fehlker said the fifth starting spot is still to be filled.
“We have several players coming off the bench who can contribute in a variety of ways,” Fehlker said. “Seniors Ashleigh Wick, Skye Batchelor and Desiree Thomas are all players I anticipate to do very well in their roles.”
The Hawks will run primarily a zone defense. Fehlker said that suits his players’ talents.
“Our defense is predicated on forcing turnovers and converting those into points on offense,” Fehlker said.
“Offensively, I think our strength will be in our players’ ability to play multiple positions. We have several girls who can drive, shoot from the outside and play inside as well.”
The Hawks were 19-6 going into the Class 4 District 2 tournament last year but bowed out in the first round. They begin this season on Nov. 27 in the De Soto Tournament.
“Our goals are to work hard, be competitive in each game and be supportive of each other,” Fehlker said.
Romano returns for fourth season
Senior guard Jesse Romano has been a constant presence for St. Pius X, scoring 315 points over three varsity seasons.
“She is a quick guard who can really pressure the ball,” said head coach Aaron Portell, who enters his 11th season and has 250 career wins with the Lancers.
Seniors Jordanne Mickley and Grace Steed, sophomore Kacey Flanagan and freshman A.J. Agers round out the starting five. Senior Steph Reyes is the No. 1 player off of the bench.
Graduation tore a big hole in the offense as all-league first teamer Machela Cook and second-team pick Sammy Linderer combined to average 28 points.
Mickley (7.3 points per game) is the leading returning scorer and is good around the glass as she pulled down 125 rebounds.
“I feel Jordanne will be one of the best players in the conference and really look to her for a lot of scoring,” Portell said.
The Lancers will try to play fast on offense but be disciplined enough to avoid taking poor shots. They will deploy a zone defense and try to force their opponents to earn points from the perimeter.
St. Pius finished 12-13 and lost to Class 3 District 3 champion Park Hills Central in the first round. The Lancers open the season at the De Soto Tournament on Nov. 27.
Clark leads Owls in senior year
Senior Camryn Clark will be counted on to do a lot of things this year as Windsor tries to replace all-conference players Shaina Kmetz and Calli Robertson, who combined for more than 20 points per game last season.
Clark plays in the post and is one of Windsor’s top defenders. She averaged 2.7 points and grabbed 102 rebounds last season.
“We will be looking to implement some new offenses to better serve our personnel,” said head coach Kim Schmidt, who enters her fourth season.
“We have 12 people on the roster and have the potential to go deep into the bench. We have a lot of new faces on the varsity and I am looking forward to seeing who will be able to contribute.”
Junior point guard Maddy Lynch is the other returning starter; she averaged 4.7 points and 4 rebounds last year. Seniors Brogan Eyre, Megan Boyd and Madison New were all varsity contributors last season. Junior post player Mary Creed is a newcomer.
“(Lynch) helped handle the ball last year as a sophomore and will be asked to step up to a bigger role this year,” Schmidt said.
The Owls finished 4-22 and 0-4 in the JCAA large schools last season. Windsor begins the season at Herculaneum on Nov. 20.
Hornets buzzing with experience
Four-fifths of Crystal City’s starting lineup last year returns this season. Center Maebry Jones and guards Grace Lay, Kailey Krieg and Taylor Sloan might be the most experienced lineup in the JCAA small-schools alignment this winter.
Lay has been the starting point guard the previous three seasons and she’s led the team in assists all three years. Last season she had 30 3-pointers and 32 steals to go with her 77 helpers.
Jones is also a four-year starter and is the Hornets’ main inside threat to score and rebound. She averaged 8.3 point and 5.5 rebounds last year.
Krieg led the team with 11 points per game and 43 shots from beyond the three-point arc. She also is the team’s best free-throw shooter.
Sloan finished 23rd at the Class 1 cross country championships on Saturday; now she runs to the basketball court as another Hornet with a good outside shot.
“Offensively we have a nice balance of inside and out this year,” said head coach Ken Jones, who enters his 15th season with a record of 183-180. “We have several girls who will have the green light to shoot from the outside, and we have three returning post players.”
Jones said his veteran squad will be able to play a multitude of defenses, depending on the matchup, and that the Hornets boast more depth than in recent years.
Team depth strength for Blue Jays
Jefferson head coach Brandon Joines said he has 10 varsity players who all can be assets to this season’s squad.
“Our bench will have a much more prominent role than the previous year in terms of expectations,” Joines said. “Last season we gave many players an opportunity to get comfortable at the varsity level. With the growth from last season and the summer, our bench will definitely be looked at for sparks and solid production.”
Small forward Hanna Floyd is the leading returning scorer (9.1 points per game). Floyd was honorable mention all-conference last season. Floyd has increased her scoring, rebounding and assists each season.
“Hanna is a strong-willed, hard-working player who is looking to build on last season and establish her senior year as her most prolific,” Joines said.
Point guard Hannah Becherer averaged 6.9 points and led the Blue Jays in 3-point shooting last season. Joines said he expects Becherer to shut down the opposing team’s best player.
“Hannah will split time running things at point and will contribute in ways that aren’t always quantifiable at both ends,” Joines said.
Center Meghan Boulicault plays tough against opposing posts and Joines said she knows how to manage the middle of the floor. She had 107 rebounds and eight blocks a year ago.
“She will be cleaning up the glass at both ends and building on her increased production last season as she has a more featured role,” Joines said.
Jenna Courtois will play some point guard and is a speedy ball-handler and defender with a knack for explosive moments, Joines said. Courtois averaged 8 points and led the Blue Jays with 56 steals.
“Her energy and competitiveness can be a driving force on both ends of the floor,” Joines said.
The fifth starting spot is being battled for by Gracie Fish, Heidi Hearst and Maddy Fuller.
Jefferson lost 15 of its last 16 games and finished 6-19 last season. The Blue Jays tip off the season in the Valley Caledonia Tournament on Nov. 27.
“With three seniors who’ve received varsity minutes every season, we have strong leadership and the opportunity to doing something special,” Joines said.
Blackcats will run and gun
No team in the league was hotter than Herculaneum going into the district tournaments. The Blackcats had won 13 of 14 games, including a blistering of Hancock 81-42 in the first round of the Class 3 District 4 tournament. Reality set in with a 70-48 loss to Principia in the district semifinals, but Herky finished 18-8 overall and 4-1 in the small-schools division.
“We are looking to get over that 20-win mark and compete for a district title,” Herculaneum head coach Riley Blair.
Ashley Lodike (guard), Rae Ann Fuller (forward), Lauren Partney (guard), Emily Fischer (forward) and Taylor Metcalf (guard) are the Blackcats’ starting five.
Lodike, first team all-league last season, broke the school record with 83 3-point baskets last season. Lodike, Partney and Fischer are all on track to reach 1,000 career points. Fuller, a second-team choice, needs about 100 rebounds to break the career record in that category.
Blair said he has a very talented, deep bench this year. Guards Kacey Eliscupides, Jordan Allen and Lily Stauder are complimented by forward Angelica Wooten and guard-forward Ashley Croom.
“Our style is run and gun and we love to shoot!” Blair exclaimed. “We thrive off our pressure defense and transition offense.”
The Blackcats begin the season at home against Windsor on Nov. 20.
Tigers are two-time large schools champs
If Festus is to continue its streak of eight straight wins against conference opponents, it will do so without seven seniors from last year’s team who graduated in May.
“This will be a reloading season,” head coach Ron Rhodes said. “We don’t have any seniors this year.”
Lacking senior experience means Jen Oetting, Brian Garmon and Abby Rickermann will be able to explore their talents. Rhodes said he’s still not certain who the other two starting players are after a week of practice.
Oetting is the only returning starter and resumes her role as the point guard. Without the imposing shadow of her older sister, Jordan (one of those seven graduates), Jen’s numbers should increase dramatically. She averaged more than seven points per game last year and Rhodes said she will lead the team in assists.
“She’s our floor general,” he said.
Garmon was just selected as the most valuable player among the JCAA’s volleyball players and she’s a superb athlete, with a lot of vertical leaping ability. She plays guard on the basketball team, but played in just one varsity game last year.
Rickermann played in 19 games and scored 97 points last year and has the tools to be among the team leaders in steals and scoring.
Rhodes describes his three post players – Maddie Welsh, Allison Kuykendall and Jess Hebenstriet – as “possibilities” for a starting role.
“We like to press and get up and down the floor as many times as possible,” Rhodes said, describing how he’d like to see the Tigers to perform this winter.
The Tigers finished 17-7 and lost to eventual Class 4 District 2 champion Potosi in the semifinals.