By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The 2018 All-O-Zone Girls Basketball team has been released. We narrowed this team down to the area’s 15 best players this season. Team success, stats, coach nominations and O-Zone staff observations throughout the season helped us narrow it down. Below you will find a first, second and third team along with players of the year.
Player of the Year: Junior F Hayley Frank, Strafford
Offensive MVP: Junior G Piper Francis, MV-BT/Liberty
Defensive MVP: Senior G Kaylee DaMitz, Skyline
Freshman of the Year: Makaiya Brooks, Springfield Central
Co-Most Improved Player: Senior G Hannah Collins, Kickapoo & Harley Maxwell, Fair Grove
Coach of the Year: Steve Frank, Strafford
First Team
Senior G Kaylee DaMitz, Skyline
DaMitz will go down as one of the most accomplished players in program history, being named Class 2 Player of the Year as a junior and leading Skyline to the Final Four in each of her four seasons. Named by many area coaches as the best defender in the Ozarks, DaMitz set the tone for the Lady Tigers on both ends of the floor.
Stats: 21.0 PPG, 5.0 APG, 4.8 RPG
College: Pittsburg State
Opposing Coach Comments: “She is the best point guard I have ever coached against. She controls her team on both ends of the floor. When they need a basket she makes one, when they need a steal she gets one. She is one of those players who takes control when the other team gets back on their heels. If you turn it over she will make you pay, normally by making a three right in your face.”
Junior F Alana Findley, Fair Grove
Findley was as dominant as any local player this season, averaging a double-double and finishing with 18 double-doubles and a triple-double in 27 games, earning All-Everything honors. The 5-foot-9 forward also shot 53 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. She enters her senior year with 1,500 points and 900 rebounds.
Stats: 22.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.7 SPG, 3.5 APG, 1.4 BPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Alana is the definition of a competitor. She shows up night after night and accepts whatever challenge is before her. Her versatility makes her a target from the opponents’ standpoint but she always adjusts to help her team win. Her positive leadership has really helped her teammates step up.”
Junior G Piper Francis, MV-BT/Liberty
Francis continues her run as one of the most prolific scores in the history of the Ozarks. Three times this season she scored at least 40 points, with three additional games of 30-39. Of her 79 career games, she’s hit the 20-point mark 58 times. The 5-foot-8 combo guard has more than 1,900 career points through her first three seasons, owning the single-game, single-season and career scoring records at Liberty.
Stats: 25.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.6 SPG
College: Wichita State (verbal)
Opposing Coach Comments: “Very, very quick and has a head for the game; very court smart. Very good spot up shooter. Very good on the offensive boards. Piper is a student of the game and has no quit in her, her motor never stops she is going to play hard every possession.”
Junior G/F Hayley Frank, Strafford
She’s on pace to go down as the most accomplished player in Missouri history, racking up nearly 2,300 points and 1,200 rebounds through three seasons. Frank was the Mid-Lakes, Class 3 and Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year, leading Strafford to a third straight state championship and continuing one of the longest winning streaks in state history. She’s the epitome of utter dominance.
Stats: 24.9 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 7.1 APG, 3.3 SPG 3.0 BPG
College: Missouri (verbal)
Opposing Coach Comments: “Her basketball IQ is so high she could coach high school ball right now. Her team is so dominant that you want to not like her but you can’t not love her as a player. She does everything the right way. She is the best player I’ve coached against in my career. She has no weaknesses.”
Sophomore F Katie Scott, Carl Junction
There’s little question that Scott should’ve been the COC Player of the Year. The 6-foot-2 sophomore shot 63 percent from the field, helping lead Carl Junction to back-to-back Final Fours. She was a stud over the last month of the season, averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and 2.8 blocks down the stretch.
Stats: 16 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 1.9 SPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Katie makes the biggest impact on her team, in a positive way, more than any other player we played against. Her versatility to play inside and out makes her a very tough match-up. Her presence on the floor alters the game plan of any opponent they face. One thing that makes her special is the way she elevates the ability in her teammates.”
Second Team
Senior G Bayley Harman, Walnut Grove
Stats: 18.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.3 SPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Match-up nightmare. Defender must be quick enough to stay in front, close enough she can’t shoot the three, and must be able to guard from the block. If you can cover those things and then keep her from getting the offensive board you could have a chance.”
Sophomore G Karlee Holland, Licking
Stats: 20.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.2 APG, 4.3 SPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Very quick and a very good 3-point shooter and spot shooter. What makes Karlee go is her ability to make shots and slash. She is very good guarding the ball in the open court, will turn you over for lay-ups if you don’t take care of the ball.”
Junior G Harper Little, Clever
Stats: 17.3 PPG, 5.5 APG, 5.5 SPG, 4 RPG, 2.7 BPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Harper is a great athlete. Her ability to anticipate passes and shots is crazy. I was so impressed with her reactions this season. Sometimes I thought my players were making more passes to her than to us. She definitely disrupted our offense and we had to aware of where she was at all times.”
Senior G/F Coley Rezabek, Camdenton
Stats: 20.8 PPG, 8 RPG, 4 APG, 3 SPG, 1.5 BPG
College: Bemidji State
Opposing Coach Comments: “Coley is an amazing basketball player who gives effort in all aspects of the game. She takes pride in her defensive effort, she chases rebounds on the offensive and defensive ends and she can score in multiple ways. The thing that’s stands out most to me, however, is her leadership and will to win. She seems to thrive when things get tough and that’s the kind of young lady you want on your team.”
Senior G Re’Shawna Stone, Waynesville
Stats: 21.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 3.4 SPG
Opposing Coach Comment: “She’s a pure athlete; runs faster and jumps higher than anyone we have played. She will beat you off the dribble if you get too close . You have to give her space or double her on perimeter. She is constantly getting into the lane vs man or zone. Midrange floater is her best weapon. She will aggressively follow her shot. You must put a body on her or she will get her own miss. She is the best offensive rebounding guard we played all year.”
Third Team
Senior G Hannah Collins, Kickapoo
Stats: 14.9 PPG, 4.1 APG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Hannah is a true contender. She just gets the job done. She has overcome a lot of adversity to earn the success she has had. She did an incredible job of leading a very young team to a State Championship game. Her ability to read and react to the defense shows her ability to compete at a high level. You can tell by watching her on the court that she is very coachable and a very good teammate.”
Junior G Kayley Frank, Strafford
Stats: 13.6 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “Kayley could easily be a 22 and 10 girl on any other team in the area but she accepts and excels at her role. I refuse to call her a role player because she is a stud, but she does whatever needs to be done for her team to win. She has a complete game but her selfless attitude is a big reason Strafford has three rings.”
Senior G/F Michelle Gabani, Bolivar
Stats: 16.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.7 APG, 3.1 SPG, 2.3 BPG
College: College of the Ozarks
Opposing Coach Comments: “Michelle is as complete of a player as we have seen in this area. She can handle it, pass it, score it, rebound it and guard it. Her size and skill set make her a tough player to scout against and I think she is going to have a wonderful collegiate career.”
Junior F Caitlin Hicks, Mount Vernon
Stats: 17.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “She is smart, hustles and out works everyone on the court. For being undersized I was surprised how well she could rebound and she seems to have a nose for the ball, probably because she out hustles everyone on the court, which turns into points. If I could steal one player and add to my team, she would be one of the first on the list. She has positive body language and as a head coach she has earned my respect. I see lots of good players but how they carry themselves on the floor can be a big turn-off. This is not the case with Hicks.”
Sophomore G Kohnnar Patton, Blue Eye
Stats: 18.0 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.1 RPG, 3.3 SPG
Opposing Coach Comments: “We really had to focus on guarding her tight because she has such a fast release for her shot. Her shooting ability is very impressive. She has great range too and anything inside half court was pretty much in range. I can’t imagine what a great shooter she will be the older she gets.”
