By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
McDonald County has seen its win total increase in each of the last three seasons and – entering Brandon Joines’ fourth season – he’ll have his first full class.
The Mustangs bring back just two starters from last year’s 12-14 group, but they form one of the most experienced backcourts in the Big 8.
Senior guards Cross Dowd and Sterling Woods took on both scoring and facilitating roles last year, with Dowd – an All-Big 8 selection – averaging 12 points and 2.9 rebounds while Woods added eight points and three assists.
“Sterling is an excellent guard with great court awareness that allows him to contribute to the success of everyone around him,” said Joines. “His scoring, ability to distribute, and improvements on the defensive end are going to be keys for our success with him as the floor general.
“Cross combines excellent shooting touch with defensive smarts to offer an extremely valuable piece of our team’s success. His creativity on the offensive end makes him a tremendous asset to our team.”
Joines is expecting several returners to take on larger roles this year.
Seniors Dalton McClain and Weston Gordon both saw varsity action last year and should see even more this winter.
Juniors Josh Pacheco (6-3), Toby Moore (6-4) and Destyn Dowd will also see significant role increases.
All three also had great seasons on the gridiron.
“Josh is a lengthy forward with tremendous athleticism that can allow him to make special plays on the floor,” said Joines. “His impactful presence and improved consistency on both ends of the floor will be a key factor in our success this season.
“Destyn is a fantastic defender with smart instincts that allow him to guard most any position on the floor. His ability to supplement his defensive skill with offensive production will be a key for our team. Toby is a solid presence inside that offers us size and physicality to match opposing posts and presents an offensive matchup that opposing teams cannot ignore.”
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Sam Barton and Jaxon Harrell will also see varsity minutes. Both are high-energy guys that will add to the defensive end any time they’re on the floor.
As Mac tries to take the next step as a program, this will be the core group that’ll look to push them over the top and above .500 for the first time since 2016. McDonald County hasn’t won a district championship since 2012.
A fourth consecutive win increase is just a small part of what these Mustangs are looking to do this winter.
“It is a commitment from the players to get better every day, whether it’s practice or a game,” said Joines. “As players gain familiarity with the system and expectations their ability to meet those expectations rises. We are by no means where we want to be yet, but we have seen some positive outcomes recently, which included winning our side of the conference last year and coming extremely close to defeating Springfield Catholic for the outright championship.
“The Big 8 Conference is always competitive with solid teams and coaching throughout, which means our mental and physical toughness and preparedness must be consistently elevated in order to have success.”
McDonald County will jamboree with Webb City at Neosho before opening the 2022-23 season on Nov. 22 at Joplin.
