Lebanon knew it was an underdog coming into Wednesday’s matchup up with Class 5 No. 6 Rock Bridge after losing to the Lady Bruins by 34 points back on Dec. 30.
Wednesday’s result was closer, but Rock Bridge’s Katey Klucking proved too much as the Lady Jackets saw their season end in a 61-43 defeat.
Klucking scored 21 of Rock Bridge’s 31 points in the first half and outscored the entire Lebanon team as Lebanon mustered just 17 points.
“I don’t know that she was doing anything special. I think as a whole they were very patient offensively. What we were having problems with as they reversed the ball side-to-side we were losing where she was at on the floor,” head coach Brendan Kelley said. “Obviously when a kid is on like that and you can’t get her shut down it is hard to win. We kind of experienced that the very first game of the season when (Strafford’s) Abby Oliver went off on us. Unfortunately it happened tonight in a sectional game.”
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Kelley now has to say good-bye to a four-player senior class that includes Kelsey Winfrey, Jaiden Offutt, Maddie O’Connor and Faith Alwardt. The quartet won 69 career games and combined to score more than 3,200 points. It is a group that truly changed the culture of Lebanon Girls Basketball.
“I think the biggest thing is the amount of progress they were able to make in four years. My first year at Lebanon was their freshman year. The year before that the program had won five games. In a four-year span they took the program from winning five games to a 23-game winner and a district championship. In anybody’s book that is good progress. That is a lot of hard work and sacrifices being made to make something like that happen,” Kelley said. “I couldn’t have asked for better people. They are good teammates and they are good people. In the grand scheme of things that almost means more. I told them every day my favorite part of the day was coming to practice because I got to be around them.”
The biggest shoes to fill belong to Winfrey. The Mizzou commit finishes her career as the program’s greatest player and all-time leading scorer with 2,039 career points to go with more than 780 rebounds, 450 steals and 300 assists.
Her drive and focus have set the tone for the program for the last four years.
“She (Winfrey) has shown that if you really want something and you are willing to put in the time and make the sacrifices you can make it happen,” Kelley said. “One of her first days as a freshman we sat in the seats at Boswell and I asked ‘what do you want to do after high school?’ and she said ‘I want to play at Mizzou. That was her goal from day one. A lot of kids will say stuff like that, but most won’t put in the time and make the sacrifices to make something like that happen. I think that is what makes Kelsey so special. She doesn’t just talk; she puts in the time and the effort to make it happen. Her work ethic is something I will never forget.”
She finished her career by scoring 12 points to tie with Offutt for the team-high in their final game together.
Now the Lady Jackets will pivot to life without an all-time great senior class.
“I told them in the locker room that these four seniors are leaving you with a challenge and that is to make sure the program continues in the direction it is heading and not to let it slip back to what it once was,” Kelley said. “I truly believe the offseason is what determines whether you win or lose that next year. I think we will learn pretty quick in the spring what kind of team we will be next year and whether or not that gym is full at open gym or not.”
Lebanon finished the season with a 23-6 record. Rock Bridge moves to 24-5. The Lady Bruins travel to SBU on Saturday to take on Branson for a spot in the Class 5 Final Four.
