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    • « Central Region All-District Teams | Main | Report - Another coach forced out »

    Basketball year in review

    By Joboo | March 21, 2008

    Before we leave roundball totally behind until next fall, let’s take a look at the year that was.  The Ozarks enjoyed a good year overall although not as strong as some past years.  The Bolivar Lady Liberators & Skyline Lady Tigers take their places in local legend by bringing home state titles.  The Clever and Fair Play boys, and Crane girls make their first, or first in a long time appearances at the Show-Me Showdown.  The Webb City boys proved they were one of the best teams in the state, while the Lady Cardinals looked like they’ll be one of the best next year.  Perfection was the name of the game for the Osceola girls until they ran into the eventual state champs.  But the Aurora Lady Houns proved you don’t have to be perfect to be really good, playing a brutal schedule and coming within one free throw of their first trip to Columbia.  Here’s some notable moments from the 07-08 basketball season, and a list of seniors that we say ‘Good bye’ and ‘Thank you’ to.

    Line of the Year - When Mansfield beat MV-BT Liberty on January 4th, senior Quentin Berry had a slightly above average night with 22 points & 16 rebounds.  His 11 for 18 performance was nothing special either.  He recorded no assists, no steals, & shot no free throws.  But he recorded 14 blocks (almost 4 times his average for the year) to complete a most rare triple double.

    David & Goliath Award- We knew the Clever Blue Jays were good when they arrived at the Blue & Gold this year.  They were averaging almost 70 points a game & had already beaten Marionville once.  And after defeating Reeds Spring, they entered the fourth quarter against eventual class 5 playoff team Ozark trailing by 2.  Then they unleashed a 30-19 final quarter blitz to show the Ozarks exactly how good they could be.  Maybe not the biggest upset at the time, but viewed looking back, this was the breakout of the year.

    Buzzer Beater Award - I’ll give this to the Glendale Lady Falcons & Emily Cline.  Not only did she explode for 30 points & hit the 3 at the buzzer to win it.  Their arch rivals the Lady Chiefs, one of only 2 teams to defeat Bolivar all year, never looked exactly the same the rest of the year.

    Game of the Year, Girls - This is for games between 2 Ozarks teams, and there are a good many worthy candidates.  But my pick for sheer drama & high stakes is the Aurora/Fair Grove state sectional clash.  With the game tied & .8 seconds on the clock Jaime Nash of Aurora misses the first of two free throws.  Then with the weight of all Aurora on her shoulders, bangs the second one home to send the Lady Houns onto the quarterfinals.

    Game of the Year, Boys- I’ve got to call this a tie because the circumstances of the games were so similar.  Both featured a proven heavyweight facing a rising newcomer trying to prove just how good they were.  With the newcomer serving notice they were a force to be feared.  Waynesville over Kickapoo in the 3rd place game of the ToC, and Carl Junction beating Webb City for 3rd place in the Kaminsky Classic.

    Player of the Year, Girls - There are some that would be worthy of this in most other years.  But this wasn’t most years.  When you have one of the best, if not the best, all around player ever to lace up a pair of sneakers leading her team to a state championship, the choice is easy.  Our player of the year is, of course, Casey Garrison of Bolivar.

    Runners up

    Player of the Year, Boys- Lots of players won’t get mentioned because they play on teams that focus on team ball.  And this award is given without regard to class or future potential.  It’s solely based on performance on the court.  So my player of the year goes to Garrett Gladden of Everton.  The leading rebounder in the area & one of the leading scorers, no one had a bigger impact in their games this year.

    Runners up

    Team of the Year, Girls- The Ozarks was littered with great girls teams this year.  But the Bolivar Lady Liberators learned to be so much more than a one woman show.  Hayley Blair, Crystal Guiot, Rachel Sawyer, & Andrea Porter all stepped up to complement POY Casey Garrison & make Bolivar possibly the best girls team in the state in any class.

    Runners up

    Team of the Year, Boys- A good number of teams operated under the team concept this year, but none did it better than the Webb City Cardinals.  With Alan Pink, Trey Laveroni, Caleb Powell, Landon Zerkel, and Chance Sossamon all having moments to shine this year.  But they always shone the brightest when they fed off each other.

    Runners up

    Take a bow - Outstanding graduating seniors

    BOYS

    GIRLS

    Topics: Basketball |

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