By Angie Brushwood
The Ash Grove Lady Pirates had planned for the 2015-16 season to be a rebuilding one, but they may have been ahead of schedule. The Lady Pirates finished with a 15-12 record but fell short in the district tournament, falling 68-62 to Buffalo in the Class 3 District 11 quarterfinals.
Head coach Austin Houp intends to keep the Lady Pirates on the winning side, a tall order in the highly competitive Class 3 District 11 field.
“Last year was a great turn-around season having gone from five wins two years ago to fifteen wins last year,” said Houp. “We’ve been developing a solid program at Ash Grove, and we began to see the fruits of it last year.”
The Lady Pirates showed their strength with first place in the Marionville Tournament and second place in the Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament.
This year’s team will have to fill the gaps left by graduates Morgan Allred, Alexa Owens, and Kayla Keene.
Allred averaged 16 ppg and made 48 3-pointers with a 43% shooting percentage. She was first team All-Mid-Lakes. Owens earned Honorable Mention All-Mid-Lakes.
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“We’re going to seek to get the post the ball more frequently,” said Houp. “In order to win in our conference, it is imperative to have our post average at least 10 points per game. We expect to win over 15 games this season, with quality showings in all three tournaments.”
Returning with experience and talent are seniors Mallory Keith and Sydnee Cashio. Cashio averaged 6.6 rebounds per game last season. Keith was one of the Lady Pirates’ leading scorers from the last two seasons, with career averages of 13.6 ppg, 3.2 steals, 3.5 assists, and 4.2 rpg. Keith earned Second Team All-Mid-Lakes.
Houp expects Keith to provide some excitement later in the season. She averaged 333 points over the past two seasons, and she happens to be 333 points away from 1,000 career points.
Catie Martin (jr.) saw some varsity time last season and will step into varsity as a post player with guard abilities.
Freshman Kennedi Climer will add depth from the bench. Houp predicts Climer should see some playing time in each game.
“We still hold to the idea of the ‘narrow road,’” said Houp. “We know that success doesn’t just. happen; it is made through daily actions and choices. If we want to excel–to meet our potential–we have to be willing to do what no one else will do. Work hard, play hard, excel.”
Ash Grove’s season opens in Lockwood on November 21.
