By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For the first time in 34 years, the Central Lady Bulldogs can be called “district champions.”
The Lady Bulldogs brought a district championship back to “The Pit” last season, keyed by Springfield’s all-time leading scorer – Makaiya Brooks.
Brooks, who is now playing at the University of Memphis, set the city scoring record by pouring in 2,359 points for her career, which included 357 3-pointers. She was a two-time all-state selection, three-time All-Ozark Conference pick and earned all-district honors all four years, including being named Class 6 District 10 Co-Player of the Year last season.
“As a four-year starter, Springfield’s all-time leading scorer and arguably the best player in southwest Missouri, she is going to be missed on and off the court,” said Central coach Caitlin Lamberth, who enters her eighth season with the Lady Bulldogs. “Makaiya showed leadership on the court with her ability to score and motivate her team, but also led in the classroom as she graduated with honors.
“Every year, she succeeded on the basketball court and is deservedly where she is now. As a huge part of our success over the past few years, we will continue to strive for greatness, but her presence will be missed. We are grateful for the time, energy and hours Makaiya spent with us.”
Brooks averaged 24.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game for Central, which finished 15-13 overall and 6-3 in the Ozark Conference, good for fourth place in the standings.
Also lost to graduation are Taylor Stephens and Tekaira Finley, both who were named to the all-conference defensive team.
“Taylor was only with us for one year, but her impact was tremendous,” Lamberth said. “She came in with a fire and energy that was unmatched. We are going to miss the energy she brought and the defensive presence she had.”
Finley was a four-year starter who provided great athleticism and a pure shooting touch for the Lady Bulldogs.
“TK may not have put up a huge amount of points for our program, but she always provided high basketball IQ and great defensive anticipation,” Lamberth said. “She was very consistent for us and her presence will be deeply missed.”
Central does return its dynamic duo in the frontcourt in Heaven Shockley and Aaliyah Pittman, as well as point guard Desteny Pierce.
Shockley is a 6-foot-1 junior forward who earned all-district honors and was named all-conference honorable mention. She averaged 11.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.5 spg and 3.2 blocks per game and is receiving some college looks and interest. She comes into the season with 493 career points, 425 rebounds and 149 blocked shots.
“Heaven has been a huge part of our success the past two seasons,” Lamberth said. “She had an outstanding freshman season that continued into Year 2. She is a forward that has tremendous skill around the basket and is developing an outside game that is going to make her an even bigger threat. She handles the ball easily, running the point for our team when necessary. We are going to count on Heaven this season to be a leader on both ends of the floor and she is more than ready to compete at a high level.”
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The Lady Bulldogs have another 6-1 junior forward in Pittman, who was an all-district selection averaging 8.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.0 apg and 1.3 bpg. Pittman isn’t far behind Shockley with 489 career points and 420 rebounds.
“LeeLee is our post player and has been outstanding for the Lady Bulldogs,” Lamberth said. “When she is on the floor, her presence inside is unmatched. She can score with either hand and has developed great footwork to make her versatile down low. Not only is she a skilled player around the basket, but stepping into a jump-shot comes easy for her. The Lady Bulldogs are going to count on her to score double digits this season and she’s more than willing to take on that challenge.”
Pierce is a 5-7 sophomore point guard who averaged 5.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.3 spg.
“Desteny is a talented point guard that has great ballhandling ability and can get to the basket quickly,” Lamberth said. “She sees the floor well and can run our offense effectively. We are going to lean on her skills and will need her to step into that leadership role as a sophomore.”
Looking to make an impact this season are two freshmen: Neveah Shockley (sister to Heaven) and Taliah Dyson.
“Neveah is going to see the floor at the varsity level,” Lamberth said. “She can shoot the 3, take a defender off the dribble and sees the floor very well. She is going to complement our offense nicely and make a huge difference on the defense end.
“Taliah provides a very dynamic point guard to our team. She is very quick and a skilled ballhandler that will help bring it up in the backcourt. She is also very energetic on the defensive end of the court and can deflect and cause turnovers for the other team.”
Lamberth said the success that the Lady Bulldogs experienced last season is where they want to the program to continue to grow.
“These young ladies who were a part of the success last season are hungry and ready for even more success,” Lamberth said. “They understand the hard work and dedication it takes and are willing to sacrifice for the team to go even further this upcoming season.”
The defending Class 6 District 10 champion Lady Bulldogs open the season at home in “The Pit” against Branson on Nov. 22.
“They are dedicated, committed and very unselfish athletes,” Lamberth said. “We have a balance of great skilled guards and a very talented inside game that we plan to fully utilize in each competition. The Lady Bulldogs are even more driven and motivated to surpass their previous accomplishments. This is a great group of young ladies and I look forward to each and every day we get to work together.”
