By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Glendale Lady Falcons will look to turn things around this season under first-year head coach Matt Powell.
Powell comes to Glendale after a successful run as the Lamar boys’ basketball coach (63-48 from 2019-2022) that included two district titles in 2019 and 2022.
The Lady Falcons finished the 2021-2022 season 4-20 overall, 2-7 in the Ozark Conference and a first-round loss to Rolla in the Class 5 District 5 tournament.
“I thought we had a great summer and saw some positive things during our workouts once school started,” Powell said. “There have been several players that have shown up and are motivated to put in the required work to be successful.”
Glendale lost just three players to graduation – Emma England (1.3 rebounds per game), Anna Sallee (4.9 points per game, 1.6 rpg, 1.1 assists) and Alyvia Goddard (7.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 apg) – and return plenty of experience.
“I think we have a good group that is excited about the upcoming season,” Powell said. “I look forward to them improving throughout the year and setting a good example of what our expectations are as a program to the younger groups.
“We have quite a bit of size and length that will benefit us on the defensive end of the floor. Our goals will be to rebound and take care of the ball every night.”
• Reilly Heman, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, averaged 8.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 spg, and was named to the Ozark Conference All-Defensive Team. “Reilly is a great athlete who is going to play soccer at Missouri State,” Powell said. “She can really disrupt what the other team wants to do offensively. We will need her to be good around the basket on offense and demonstrate to the younger groups how to compete.”
• Rachel Flewell, 5-11, senior forward – Averaged 6.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.1 apg, .5 spg. “Rachel is a skilled forward that plays a lot of basketball. She is capable of helping the guards out handling the ball and causing some matchup problems for opposing teams. We hope she will have a great year and step up into a leadership role.”
• Skylar Bencsek, 5-3, senior guard – Averaged 5.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.1 apg, .9 spg. “Skylar has had a terrific summer and fall. She has bought in and shows up every day. We will look for her to space the floor with her ability to make the 3 and open the basket up for our bigs.”
• Avery Givens, 5-11, junior forward – Averaged 4.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg. “Avery has a lot of potential and has shown great improvement from this summer to the fall. She is a player we are expecting to take a big jump from her sophomore year to her junior year.”
• Meegan Randall – Averaged 2.9 ppg, 2 rpg, .9 apg, 1.1 spg. “Meegan has great anticipation on the defensive end and can space the floor on offense.”
To help complement the returnees, Powell will be looking to Maddie Zinng, Addy Kester and Taija Jones to make an impact this season.
• Maddie Zinng, 5-11 freshman guard. “Maddie can score the ball in a variety of ways,” Powell said. “We will need her to grow up quickly, help on the boards and work hard on the defensive end.”
• Addy Kester, 5-11 junior forward. “Addy is long and aggressive. She has had a great summer and fall.”
• Taija Jones, 5-7 senior guard. “Taija is quick and fits in very well with what we will try to do on defense.”
Powell said possibly the biggest obstacle for the Lady Falcons in his first season will be the first time they have to deal with adversity during a game.
“Whether we have lost a few in a row or it’s that we aren’t playing well, our girls will have to figure out how to compete each day in practice and stay the course through an entire basketball season,” Powell said.
After participating in a jamboree on Nov. 16, the Lady Falcons will have the chance to test that challenge when they host Springfield Catholic on Nov. 18.
“We are really stressing the importance of showing up and working hard,” Powell said. “I believe if we can get consistent commitment from the entire group, this program can take a turn in a positive direction.
“If we are able to do that and have good attitudes, this group is more than capable of having a successful season.”
