By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2022 was a magical run for El Dorado Springs basketball.
The 29-3 Bulldogs defeated South Shelby in March to capture the Class 3 state championship.
For longtime head coach Beau Swopes, the 2022 Class 3 Coach of the Year, the victory marked the program’s second state title in the past decade.
“We had high expectations entering the season and the girls battled all season to reach the goals they set,” Swopes said. “We return quite a few girls who got the opportunity to play in some really big games. The biggest thing for us this year is to not be satisfied with all we achieved last season and come to work everyday.”
Graduated seniors Reese Schaaf, Tevi Gurley and Morgan Mitchell departed over the summer.
Schaaf, the Class 3 Player of the Year, will continue her basketball career at Drury University this season.
“Reese was the key to our transition last year,” Swopes said. “She was a great rebounder who could make a pass the length of the floor, which led to a lot of opportunities for her teammates. Reese could defend multiple positions and offensively was hard to stop.”
While it’s never easy replacing an all-state caliber player, Eldo is fortunate to have another one still on the roster.
5-foot-10 senior Macie Mays returns to the lineup after averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.9 steals last season.
At some point during the season, Mays could break Reese Schaaf’s career scoring record set in 2022.
“Macie is our leader on the floor – she does so much for the team,” Swopes said. “She has the ability to attack the basket and hit from the outside. Defensively, she was our best player last year and took pride in trying to stop the other team’s best player.”
Wriley Taylor, Tenile Steward, Neely Schaaf, Gracie Mead and Abi Schmitt also return for the Bulldogs.
Taylor, a 5-foot-7 senior, averaged 1.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1 assist as a junior.
“Wriley is a great leader,” Swopes said. “She does so many little things during the game that lead to wins but don’t show up on the stat sheet.”
Steward, a 5-foot-5 junior, averaged 4.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 steal last season.
“Tenlie brings a lot of energy for us,” Swopes said. “She can defend and loves to run in transition. She has continued to work on her outside shot and has become a real threat from the 3-point line.”
Neely Schaaf, a 5-foot-5 sophomore, averaged 5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals as a freshman.
“Neely has really good court vision, she defends really well and has the ability to score from every level,” Swopes said.
Mead, a 5-foot-9 junior, averaged 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 2022.
“Gracie has really worked to improve over the offseason and we are expecting big things from her,” Swopes said. “She finishes really well on the inside and should see an increase in her numbers with more playing time.”
Schmitt, a 6-foot-1 junior, averaged 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds last season.
“Abi played limited minutes last year, but she has shown a lot of promise,” Swopes said. “She should see an increase in her numbers with more playing time this year.”
A trio of sophomore newcomers will step into varsity roles this season in 5-foot-5 Alexis Collins, 5-foot-6 Avery Floyd and 5-foot-4 Kiera Strauch.
In addition to the sophomore newcomers, Swopes believes a talented freshman class could also challenge for varsity minutes this season, including McKinli Mays, Tayah Garringer, Sage McCullough, Tatum Quinlan, Braylie Steward and Lainey Dody.
While Eldo will feature a new-look lineup this season, the expectations don’t change, especially after capturing a state title.
“Anytime you come off a successful season and lose some key players there are going to be challenges,” Swopes said. “We will have a lot of our girls taking on new roles and just trying to figure out what combination works best. The girls have high expectations again, and they would love to defend their title from last year. We will have to do a better job of rebounding and it will have to be a complete team effort.”
For the Bulldogs to mount another postseason run, Swopes believes his team’s depth will play a significant role.
