By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
They competed against solid teams in the off-season and held their own, and now the Mountain Grove Lady Panthers are ready to avenge a three-win year.
Vallie Hoerning enters her fourth year as the Lady Panthers’ head coach. She says the team’s first game will be a benchmark to judge just how far they’ve come. Mountain Grove lost in the first round of district play in 2018-19 and struggled with turnovers, but they lost only one to graduation: skilled guard Tommi Gardner.
The battle-tested returning cast includes senior Alisha Condos, a 6’1” all-conference and all-district post player. Condos led her team in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, and blocked shots. She averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds per game last season and had ten games with a double-double.
Junior forward Trinity Elliott put up 5.5 ppg and will increase offensive output and intensity. Classmate Kelsey Watson, also a forward, is skilled at attacking the basket and drawing a foul. Watson has bulked up on her outside shooting over the summer and will attempt to add to her 6.1 ppg. She also pulled down five rebounds per game.
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Addy Welch and Macey Penner, sophomore guards, earned varsity experience last season. They will work to control a more up-tempo pace and to increase offensive production.
New faces include junior transfer student Grayci Keeling, who comes from Norwood with varsity experience. Sophomores Destinie Caldwell and Emma Stigall add to the post while Clair Nelson (guard) and Megan Broos (forward) bring both skill and height to the table, each standing at 5’9”.
Freshmen who could see playing time are guard Taigan Calhoun, another Norwood transfer; guard Reagan Hoerning, and forwards Kamryn Kuster and Morgan Unger.
“I’m excited for the season, as we had a great summer and competed well against several quality teams,” said Coach Hoerning. “I expect our tempo to improve and we will be able to play more of a full-court game with the skill set of our guards…I feel we will compete well with the majority of teams on our schedule.”
The Lady Panthers open their season at home against Fair Grove Nov. 26.
