When eight of your top 10 players return from a team that won 18 games, more than likely, you’re going to be feeling pretty good about yourself.
That’s exactly the case for the Lebanon Lady Yellow Jackets.
“The team this year is going to be very exciting to watch,” said Kelsey Winfrey, a Mizzou commit who averaged 21.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.6 steals, and 3.4 assists in an All-State season last year for the Lady Jackets. “We all know each other really well and we all work well together. I can promise that each girl on our team will give 100 percent effort each time they walk out onto the floor.”
Last year, Lebanon finished 18-8, including a 7-2 mark in the Ozark Conference. Their season ended prematurely with a 63-46 loss in the opening round of districts to Jefferson City. But with three starters and eight lettermen returning, they’ve got even bigger hopes for the upcoming season.
“With the group of seniors we will have,” said Lady Jackets’ coach Brendan Kelley, now in his fourth year leading the program, “having been together for years and helping to turn the program around, I am really looking to them to help us take the next big step forward as a program and compete for a district championship.”
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Those seniors Kelley refers to—Winfrey, Jaiden Offutt, Maddie O’Connor, and Faith Alwardt—will be counted on to provide a bulk of the production if Lebanon is to reach its goals this coming season.
Winfrey, a 5-foot-8 guard/forward, will get most of the attention, and for good reason. “She’s the leader of our team, not just on the floor, but off as well,” Kelley said. “She’s the kind of athlete every coach wants to coach. She can get to the rim and knock down the outside shot and is almost automatic from the free-throw line. She outworks everyone on the defensive end of the floor and comes up with big plays in pressure situations.”
But Winfrey can’t do it all. Lebanon will also need help from her slightly taller 5-foot-9 sidekick Offutt, who averaged 8.5 points and 2.8 assists last season and is currently fielding offers from William Woods and Truman State, among others. “She has transformed and improved a ton since her freshman year,” Kelley said. “She’s a hard working player who will show up early and stay late to work on parts of her game. She plays with a high level of intensity and shows tremendous heart to go along with a great ability to get to the rim, as well as knock down the outside shot.”
Other senior returners include 5-foot-11 forward Maddie O’Connor who played the guard position last year but will play in the paint this year, and 6-foot center Faith Alwardt, who tore her ACL last season.
“Maddie is aggressive defensively and her ability to get to loose balls and tip passes makes her a perfect fit for some of our defensive setups,” Kelley said. “Faith made a huge positive impact on our team last year, even from the bench, and I expect her to make a huge impact on the court this season. She has a great jumper, has excellent post moves around the rim, and is a threat to grab a double-double every night.”
If the Lady Jackets are to reach the goals they’ve set this year, they’ll also need help from juniors Carsyn Bowman (5’8”), Alyssa Wright (5’8”), Grace Calhoun (5’4”), and Mel Myers (5’8”), as well as sophomores Kamryn Mack (5’7”) and Cori Johnson (5’10”). Freshman Jenna Glendenning (5’4”) should also fight for playing time thanks to her blue-collar work ethic and poise.
