By John Miller (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After a season in which almost everything was new, the Neosho Lady Wildcats are looking forward to having some continuity for the 2019-20 season. Last year, Neosho finished 8-18 and went 1-8 in Central Ozark Conference play.
“Last year, we entered the season with one senior, one returning letterman, and zero returning starters,” noted second-year coach Matt Hixson. “This year, we are returning six lettermen, including three starters. I feel like a year together under our belts as a varsity team will definitely help with some of the jitters we faced last year being so young.”
In addition to having few returning players last year, Neosho also was under a new coaching staff. Now that they’re in year two under Hixon, things should go smoother.
“Our team battled through some very hard times together last year, and it brought us closer as a family unit,” Hixon noted. “Our motto this year is ‘Run as One.’ We have already shown several examples this offseason of teammates stepping up for each other. We are also very eager. We are still young in terms of varsity experience, and we are collectively bought in to our team’s culture and enthusiasm to win.”
Key returners for the Lady Wildcats include guards Olivia Hixson (5’6, Jr.), Mary Dunbar (5’5”, Sr.), Maile Gindling (5’5”, Sr.), and forward Brylee King (5’6”, Jr.). Hixson is the team’s leading scorer, accounting for 275 points last year. She was selected to the All-District team.
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“Olivia has put in a ton of time again this offseason working on her game and has really stepped into her captain role with teaching our large group of incoming freshmen this fall,” Hixson said. “She has led all our offseason open gyms and has even come in during the early morning to work with people individually.”
King started every game for Neosho last year and will be a key player for the Lady Wildcats this year. Dunbar is the team’s point guard and returns after missing half of last year for personal reasons.
“Brylee is vital to our success,” Hixson noted. “Her talk and leadership in the front court area of our defense is unmatched, and the younger kids will definitely look to her for guidance. Mary has been working her tail off this offseason and is receiving looks from several area colleges. Her hard-nosed approach and tenacious personality make her a very formidable competitor.
Newcomers to the squad include freshman forward Reagan McInturff (6’1”) and freshman guard Raine Harris (5’6”).
“This program hit the start-over button last year,” Hixson said. “I feel like as a first-year coach, I was too occupied with trying to fix everything at once and failed to start with the basics. This year, we plan to use our best attributes and build from there. We will focus more time and energy on the basics of the game and less time on the strategy of the game.”
One of the biggest adjustments that Neosho will need to make this year to be competitive is to value the basketball. Last year, the Lady Wildcats turned the ball over 567 times on the season.
“We have to learn to value the basketball,” Hixson said. “The teams who beat us with the first shot last year did so with layups off of live ball turnovers.”
With another year of experience under their belt, a team that is built on its returners should enjoy better success this season.
