By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
A new era is underway at Hartville and it’ll be a smooth transition as Steve Sanders slides over one seat to take over the program after three years as an assistant.
He inherits a team that is fresh off a Final Four run and third place Class 2 finish. The Lady Eagles have won at least 20 games in three of the last four seasons, averaging 24 wins per year in that time.
Sanders believes that success and his familiarity with the program has helped make things easier.
“Luckily, I have been with these girls for the past three years as the assistant, so they know what to expect from me,” said Sanders. “Our goals and expectations will not change from what they have been in the past. The toughest thing for us will be learning how to play without Sadie and Skylar but I think our girls will adjust quickly.”
Sadie Chisum and Skylar Divine have graduated, leaving as one of the most decorated classes in program history.
Replacing them won’t be easy, but Hartville does return three starters and seven total letterwinners, giving the Lady Eagles a solid foundation to continue what has been an incredible run.
Leading the group this year will be All-Summit Conference selections Grace Culver and Jadalyn Keith.
Culver, a 5-foot-10 senior, averaged 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and two assists as a junior. Keith, a 5-foot-6 junior, added 7.8 points and 2.6 rebounds.
Sanders was impressed by what he saw from the duo during the offseason.
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“Grace really stepped up for us scoring last season,” said Sanders. “I think it will be an adjustment with more teams keying on her defensively, but she is a competitor and we know she will rise to the challenge. Jadalyn took on more scoring role over the summer and did a great job. We fully expect her to carry that scorer’s mentality into the regular season.”
Katie Still, a 5-foot-8 senior post, returns after averaging 3.6 points and 5.4 rebounds last season. Bailey Martin, a 5-foot-3 senior guard will be counted on to make shots this winter.
A sleeper in the group could be the play of 5-foot-9 sophomore McKinley Sanders. As a freshman she averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.
She’s also the daughter of Coach Sanders, giving him an even more unique bond with this team and its players.
“I am excited to not only coach McKinley but all the other girls too,” said Sanders. “We both just have to look at it as I am the head coach now and she is the player and when we leave the gym, I’m dad and she is my daughter. If we don’t do that, mom has to become the referee at home.”
Senior Aubrey Hardcastle is back in the program after sitting out two years. She’ll bring some grit and athleticism to the court.
Sophomore Kylie Harris and freshman Molly Brown will also compete for minutes in the rotation.
While some of the faces will be new and the roles will be different, this is a team that still expects to compete for conference and district championships.
Neither is easy to do in the best section of Class 2 basketball in Missouri.
But, for it to happen, there are a few things Sanders would like to see from his team.
“Our conference has a lot of good teams in it again this year,” said Sanders. “In the past we have had some trouble defending the other team’s best player. We will have to do a better job of getting defensive stops as a team.
“We will have to get better defensively and play great team basketball to compete for another conference and district championship. We feel like we have several girls that can contribute on offense but there may be nights that we are off. We can always control our defensive effort and I think that will be a big key for us this year.”
Hartville will open the 2019-20 season at home against New Covenant Academy.
