By Dana Harding
The 2015-16 season was a tough one for the Joplin Lady Eagles.
The injury bug hit Joplin hard early in the season, as a trio of starters were lost for the season.
The team went 2-23 and was bounced from the district tournament by Willard in the first round, but several close games could have gone either way, according to head coach Jeff Williams.
“We lost three starters early due to season-en,” Williams said. “We won just two ball games, but had a chance to win five or six more. The good news is we only lost one senior who played sparingly.”
With injuries playing havoc with the roster, several Lady Eagles were forced to move up into more prominent roles, gaining valuable varsity experience in the process.
Joplin returns a host of players who either started or contributed valuable minutes last season, including senior Shelby Beaver, junior Jessica Zengel, junior Mikayla Kuehnel, junior Diane Wagler, senior Andy Wilson, senior Sarah Benson, senior Jada Ried and senior Maddie Devore.
Beaver led the team in both scoring (9.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg). Williams feels the 5’9” senior will be a force on the inside.
Newcomers this season include a pair of players returning from injury.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS
Two-year starter senior Kinsley Stewart and junior Jillian Lopez both return after missing last season. Stewart returns after recovering from ACL surgery. They are joined by junior Hannah Cox and sophomore Emma Briley, who should make immediate contributions this year.
While Williams is in only his second year at the Lady Eagles’ helm, he’s no stranger to Joplin basketball. Prior to accepting the position last year, Williams served as head coach for the boys program for five seasons.
“We return everyone and have plenty of depth,” Williams said. “We will keep pressure offensively and defensively and play a lot of kids.”
The Lady Eagles will once again contend with a very competitive Ozark Conference, which includes Class 5 state champion Kickapoo, Class 4 quarterfinalist Carl Junction and Class 4, District 5 champion Hillcrest.
“I have a very fun group that is coachable, and we will have an interesting year,” Williams said. “We are better than we were a year ago, and time will tell how good this team will be.”
For Joplin to improve on last year’s record, points in critical moments will be at a premium.
“The success of this team will depend on if we can score enough to win games that we should,” Williams said. “We played solid defense a year ago and held most opponents to 50 points or less. I can only guarantee that we will have a scrappy team and have tons of fun doing it.”
