2008-09 basketball year in review

Since we’re halfway through baseball season, I thought I’d better do our basketball review before it gets totally lost.  We’ll always remember this as the year of the ladies in the Ozarks as every state championship game features a team from SW Mo.  The Nixa Lady Eagles, Exeter Lady Tigers, and Sparta Lady Trojans each bring home state titles with Sparta running the table at a perfect 31-0.  Joining those three in the Show-Me Showdown finals were the Webb City Lady Cardinals & Skyline Lady Tigers who saw their quest to repeat as champs come up 1 point short.  Columbia was crowded with Ozarks teams.  The Bakersfield, Couch, and Fair Grove girls made the trip.  As did the Chadwick, Laquey, Miller, and Blue Eye boys.  The Blue & Gold was great.  The Tournament of Champions was incredible.  And we were treated to one of the best all around basketball seasons ever.

A couple of explanations before we continue.  This year I’m naming a team & MVP for each class.  I define MVP as the person who has the biggest impact on their team.  In other words, take that player off the team and what is the effect?  Player of the year is based solely on basketball accomplishments regardless of class.  Who did the best relative to their competition.  And game of the year means a game between two Ozarks teams.  So you won’t see Central beating Rock Bridge listed.  With that, here’s some notable moments from the 08-09 basketball season, our All-OzarksSports teams, and a list of seniors that we say ‘Good bye’ and ‘Thank you’ to.

Line of the Year – In a year when quite a few contenders existed for this one, a pair of record setting 3-point bombers steal the show.  On Jan 15th in Richland, the Lady Bears sophomore sharp shooter Kylie Eldredge helps her team open up the game by hitting a state record 6 three pointers in the third quarter of Richland’s 98-72 win over Newburg.  Less than 3 weeks later, Pierce City’s Dietrick Sooter hit an amazing state record 10 first half threes as the Eagles defeated Sarcoxie 82-47.

David & Goliath Award – Although it turned out to be not nearly the upset it might have been, when the Fair Grove Lady Eagles traveled to the Pit to take on Central on Jan 29, it was an eye opener.  People were still doubting the Lady Eagles, and with Kayla Kepler and Rachel Edwards out injured, there was reason to.  Meanwhile Central was rounding into shape after a sluggish start to the year.  The Lady Bulldogs had won 6 of 7 with only a loss to Kickapoo a recent bad memory.  But when Mollie Gavin sprinted up court, took a pass, and scored with 2 seconds left to give Fair Grove the 50-49 victory over the class 5 Lady Bulldogs, no one was doubting any more.  It was a wake up call and a sign of things to come.

Buzzer Beater Award – Feb 26.  Nixa vs Ozark.  Class 5 district 11 semifinals.  It’s Ozark 60, Nixa 58 when the Eagles Caleb Thomas launches his first 3-point attempt of the year at the pistol.  Good!  Bedlam ensues.  More on this in a moment.

Honorable mention: 3/5, class 2 district 10 boys semifinal at Purdy.  Marionville’s Ryan Combs gets a putback bucket at the buzzer to upset Purdy 64-62 on their home floor.

Game of the Year, Girls – Miller 73, Purdy 65.  Not the closest game, or the one with the most on the line.  But for pure great play, this one was tops.  Miller went into the pressure cooker at Purdy and jumped out to a 24-18 first quarter lead.  Addy Roller would finish with 24 points, and Audrey Patton 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Lady Eagles kept clawing back into the game.  But Hannah Wilkerson showed her stuff by putting the Lady Cardinals on her back.  She refused to let the lead slip away as she knocked down 37 points with an array of shots to lead Miller to the win.

Honorable mention:

• Osceola 60, Montrose 56
• Fair Grove 61, Rogersville 60
• Fair Grove 50, Central 49
• Webb City 63, Neosho 61
• Monett 64, McDonald County 60 (2OT)

Game of the Year, Boys - Nixa 61, Ozark 60.  With all that was on the line, Ozark winning the previous meeting by 19, the 15-0 Nixa run to pull them back into the game, Ozark and Isaiah Monroe retaking the lead, and the improbable buzzer-beating finish, this was THE game of the year.  Quite possibly the best ever in the Nixa/Ozark rivalry.

Honorable mention:

• Sparta 57, Blue Eye 56 (OT)
• Central 76, Glendale 75
• Central 63, Hillcrest 60
• Liberty 84, Plato 82 (OT)
• Branson 69, Central 67
• Marionville 85, Billings 84 (2OT)
• Pierce City 63, Purdy 61

All-OzarksSports.Net Teams

CLASS 1

Girls: Pretty easy MVP & first team picks.  Second team a little more challenging, but I feel good about it.

First team

• Brooke Lair, Bakersfield
• Cheyenne Ships, Fair Play
• Destani Stensrud, Exeter
• Kelsey Williams, Eminence
• Whitney Edie, Exeter – MVP

Second team

• Jenna Chadd, Verona
• Kayla Bays, Humansville
• Rochelle Wallen, Lockwood
• Tristan Carasquillo, Verona
• Wendy Leas, Climax Springs

Boys: Toughest MVP pick.  Gladden or Thomas?  Everton obviously would have had a rough year without Garrett, and Chadwick was still very good once Shaun was injured.  But if he’s healthy, I think they win the state title.  And that’s rare indeed.

First team

• Alex Oserowsky, Thomas Jefferson
• Clay Crouch, Wheatland
• Garrett Gladden, Everton
• Patrick Holt, Chadwick
• Shaun Thomas, Chadwick – MVP
• Zach Medley, Dadeville

Second team

• Austin Brewer, Eminence
• Brycton Burk, Hurley
• Elijah Lasater, Lockwood
• Jordan Sukovaty, Fair Play
• Saultz Chandler, Macks Creek

CLASS 2

Girls: Toughest class to pick as this was a loaded group this year.  Wilkerson gets the MVP nod over Stevens because she does a little bit of everything.

First team

• Hannah Wilkerson, Miller – MVP
• Jordan Garrison, Osceola
• Micah Stevens, Thayer
• Tashina Tennis, Sparta
• Whitney Mills, Couch

Second team

• Addy Roller, Purdy
• Bridget Hanafin, Clever
• Kayla Coffer, Sparta
• Maggie Arnall, Hartville
• Shelbee Cowart, Laquey

Boys: Easy choice on MVP.  Not so easy the rest of the way.

First team

• Billy Cross, Summersville
• Blake Kimrey, Plato – MVP
• Justin Jack, Miller
• Michael Wilson, Laquey
• Jeremy Dresslaer, Clever

Second team

• Donovan Bartkoski, Wheaton
• Kevin O’Keefe, McAuley
• Levi Cook, Crane
• Mason Roller, Purdy
• Micah Mayle, Laquey

CLASS 3

Girls: A nice group to say the least.  Wisdom means a little more to Skyline than Painter to Morrisville or Reith to Catholic.  But just barely.

First team

• Abby Reith, Catholic
• Erin Gavin, Fair Grove
• Kasey Painter, Morrisville
• Maci Wisdom, Skyline – MVP
• Rachel Edwards, Fair Grove

Second team

• Chayla Rutledge, Stockton
• Haley Yoakum, Dixon
• Kailie Weinreis, Ash Grove
• Kenzie Williams, Mt. Vernon
• Santana Cruz, Conway

Boys: Serious tough calls here.  A number of very good players were left off.  And choosing between three solid MVP candidates is just a matter of degrees.  Kleine gets the nod.

First team

• Derek Daniels, Mt. View-Birch Tree Liberty
• Dietrick Sooter, Pierce City
• Garrett Chapman, Blue Eye
• Toby Roelfsema, Seneca
• Zack Kleine, Mt. Vernon – MVP

Second team

• Cameron Yates, Skyline
• Derek Ince, Forsyth
• Josh Hartin, Southwest
• Kyle Poynter, Houston
• Pete Leonard, Ava

CLASS 4

Girls: Another group I feel good about.  Jaeger is a slam dunk for MVP.  She’s special.

First team

• Callie Carroll, Rogersville
• Jamie Nash, Aurora
• Kaitlin Jaeger, Webb City – MVP
• McKenzie Lauffer, Aurora
• Najee Donson, Rogersville

Second team

• Alisha Shipley, West Plains
• Hannah Elkins, Cassville
• Jaimee Shields, McDonald County
• Nicole Hudson, Webb City
• Sara Paschall, West Plains

Boys: Aurora had good overall balance, but Carmichael did a lot of little things to make it all go.  This is an impressive group.

First team

• Drew Dunton, Rogersville
• Jake Marty, Reeds Spring
• Preston Guiot, Bolivar
• Ryan Carmichael, Aurora – MVP
• Trey Laveroni, Webb City

Second team

• Brock Argo, Republic
• Chase Howerton, Aurora
• C.J. Smith, Salem
• Justin Kraft, West Plains
• Kirk Moore, Monett

CLASS 5

Girls: For all the talent on Nixa, Bethanie Funderburk was the straw that stirred the drink.

First team

• Bethanie Funderburk, Nixa – MVP
• Bri Anton, Ozark
• Kayln Vlasin, Neosho
• Lindsey Erickson, Kickapoo
• Myriah Hicks, Central

Second team

• Abby Bracker, Nixa
• Casey Carroll, Kickapoo
• Danielle Bennett, Central
• Kaley Lyons, Glendale
• Lorelei Snow Neosho

Boys: You have to wonder if the pressure of the regular season didn’t wear down these guys for the playoffs. Hall gets the MVP as Kickapoo would have had a really rough year without him.  Branson would have still been decent without Wiebe.

First team

• Alex Hall, Kickapoo – MVP
• B.J. Ray, Waynesville
• Johnny Gray, Central
• Mike Wiebe, Branson
• Tate Unruh, Branson

Second team

• Alex Wise, Neosho
• Casey Goss, Glendale
• Derek Chaney, Hillcrest
• Jordan Nuckolls, Ozark
• Patrick Chandler, Nixa

Player of the Year, Girls – A runner up last year, this young lady took her game and her team to another level this year averaging 26 points, and 12.8 rebounds per game.  She also hit from three point range at a nearly 50% clip.  Often double and triple teamed, she continued to fill up the stat sheet while lifting her teammates games to a higher level.  And together, it took them all the way to the state title.  For my money, the best player on the girls side in any class hands down, Whitney Edie of Exeter.

Runners up

• Bethanie Funderburk, Nixa
• Kaitlin Jaeger, Webb City
• Hannah Wilkerson, Miller
• Jordan Garrison, Osceola
• Micah Stevens, Thayer

Player of the Year, Boys – When you look at the numbers you just can’t escape it.  An average game for Garrett Gladden is a monster game for anyone else.  22 points, 15 rebounds, 60% from the field shooting anything 15 feet and in, 70% from the line, handling the ball against the press.  Whew!  And it was against some quality competition too.  He held those same averages in games against Chadwick twice, Dadeville twice, Fair Play, and Wheatland.  When I examine who is most outstanding relative to the competition, for the second year in a row, it’s Garrett Gladden of Everton.

Runners up

• Alex Hall, Kickapoo
• Mike Wiebe, Branson
• Dietrick Sooter, Pierce City
• Blake Kimrey, Plato
• Alex Oserowsky, Thomas Jefferson

Team of the Year, Girls – A ton of great choices, but I’m going with the ladies that ran the table.  And they did it the hard way taking down four state ranked teams on their way to the state title.  Tashina Tennis, Kayla Coffer, Brooke & Allison Stevens, Kayla Case, and coach Jerry Songer made for a potent, and at least for this year, perfect combination.  Our 2008-09 girls team of the year, the Sparta Lady Trojans.

Runners up

• Exeter
• Fair Grove
• Kickapoo
• Nixa
• Webb City

Team of the Year, Boys - Our team of the year spent as much time this season in the discussion for best team in their district as beast team in the area.  But with established talents like Mike Wiebe and Tate Unruh, and players that elevated their game like Kael Bowling, Branson was able to take some punches and come back swinging.  Ultimately prevailing in the insanely tough class 5 district 10, then winning a classic sectional matchup with Central.  The Branson Pirates.  Our boys team of the year.

Runners up

• Aurora
• Central
• Chadwick
• Laquey
• Miller

Take a bow – Outstanding graduating seniors

BOYS

• Ash Grove – Evan Nicholson & Austin Slagle
• Aurora – Golden Brown, Ryan Carmichael, Devin Hillman, Chase Howerton, Kaleb Roy & Kyle Roy
• Blue Eye – Logan Decker & Trae Patton
• Branson – Tate Unruh & Mike Wiebe
• Carthage – Dylan Samuelson
• Central – William Chadwick, Johnny Gray, Jerome Small
• Chadwick – Nathan Hale, Patrick Hole, Aaron Phillips, & Shaun Thomas
• Dadeville – Brock Toler
• Dora – Derik Collins
• East Newton – Joe Batson
• Everton – Garrett Gladden & Chase Knackstedt
• Fair Play – Jordan Sukovaty
• Forsyth – Derek Ince
• Gainesville – Jaxon Taylor
• Glendale – Chris Deines, Casey Goss & Taylor Triplett
• Hillcrest – Derek Chaney & Brock Schaffer
• Iberia – Matt Edmonds
• Jasper – Issac Tidball
• Kickapoo – Alex Hall
• Laquey – Kortez Britt, Jordan Hubbard & Michael Wilson
• Lamar – Blake Howarth
• Lockwood – Elijah Lasater
• Macks Creek – Chandler Saultz
• Marionville – Brandon Verfurth
• McAuley – Kevin O’Keefe, Brant Russell
• Miller – Tyler Abma & Ryan Morris
• Monett – Kirk Moore
• Mountain Grove – Casey White
• Nixa – Patrick Chandler & Caleb Thomas
• Ozark – Ryan Holmes & Jordan Nuckolls
• Pierce City – Jared Frey & Dietrick Sooter
• Plato – Blake Kimrey
• Purdy – Mason Roller & Blake Williams
• Reeds Spring – Jake Marty
• Republic – Brock Argo
• Rogersville – Drew Dunton
• Skyline – Cameron Yates
• Strafford – Derek Wilson
• Thayer – Lance Schneider
• Webb City – Trey Laveroni, Austin Lepper & Parker Graham
• West Plains – Justin Kraft
• Willard – Ronnie Rust

GIRLS

• Aurora – McKenzie Lauffer & Jamie Nash
• Bolivar – Haley Blair
• Carthage – Denise Taylor
• Catholic – Abby Reith
• Central – Danielle Bennett, Myriah Hicks & Pazley Looney
• Conway – Haley Skidmore
• Crane – Kenzie Rowe
• Crocker – Kaitlyn Bogle
• Dixon – Haley Yoakum
• Exeter – Whitney Edie
• Fair Grove – Rachel Edwards, Mollie Gavin & Kristen Link
• Fair Play – Cheyenne Ships
• Glendale – Kaley Lyons
• Houston – Holly Thomas
• Jasper – Candice Talbot
• Kickapoo – Lindsey Erickson
• Laquey – Shelbee Cowart
• Lebanon – Cierra Moore & Brittany Stamm
• Lockwood – Rochelle Wallen
• Marionville – Emilea Pantenburg
• McAuley – Arielle Santillian
• Miller – Sam Hendrickson & Katrina Logan
• Morrisville – Kayla Painter
• Neosho – Lorelei Snow & Savannah Snow
• New Covenant – Hannah Brim, Lindsey Letsinger & Mallory Williams
• Nixa – Abby Bracker, Morgan Smith, Aly Stock
• Osceola – Britney Colby, Olivia Jones, Brooke Jurgensmeyer & Shelby Moore
• Ozark – Bri Anton & Khyrstyn Brumley
• Pierce City – Stevie Freeman
• Pleasant Hope – Alex Benson
• Republic – Hannah Daniel & Jamie Holmes
• Richland – Couri Braithwait
• Rogersville – Callie Carrol
• Seymour – Elisha Coday
• Skyline – Emily Reyes & Maci Wisdom
• Sparta – Kayla Case & Tashina Tennis
• Spokane – Meagan Winslow
• Strafford – Anessa Alexander & Kayla Davidson
• Thayer – Micah Stevens
• Webb City – Nicole Hudson
• West Plains – Jessi House, Sara Paschall & Alisha Shipley