By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Greenwood Lady Bluejays face the challenge of not only replacing three starters from last season, but also overcoming the loss of their leading scorer.
Gone from last season’s 15-12 squad are Blair Brown, Rachael Pinegar and Reagan Rosen.
Brown, a guard/forward, averaged 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1 assist per game. Pinegar, a forward, added .9 ppg and 2.5 rpg, while Rosen, a forward, chipped in 1.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 1 spg.
While the experience of the Lady Bluejays’ graduates is a key loss for this season, they must find a way to fill the gap left by junior guard Hannah Gibbons who transferred.
In 2021-2022, Gibbons averaged 25 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 3.9 spg and shot 36.3 percent from beyond the arc and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line. She also was a Class 2 all-state and Class 2 District 11 selection.
Moving forward, Greenwood returns one starter in junior point guard Camryn Parker, an all-district honoree. Parker averaged 14.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.9 spg.
Other returnees include senior forward Tess Fowler, who averaged 4.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg and 1.4 spg, and juniors Zoe Allie and Abigail Schultz, who were new to basketball last year.
Coach Mike Percival, who enters his seventh year at Greenwood, will look to freshmen Elif Benzer, Judy Diouf and Isabelle Insley to make an impact this season.
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Benzer and Diouf are guards and Insley is a forward.
Percival said that Benzer was the leading scorer for Greenwood’s junior high team, while Diouf showed potential. Insley “showed a solid ability to pass and distribute the basketball last year.”
Other newcomers Percival will be counting on to contribute include Abi Smith, Harper Pinkston and Hannah Richards.
Smith is a senior guard from Chadwick, who Percival said, “will help us on both ends of the floor.”
Pinkston, a freshman forward, comes in from Hickory Hills. “She played a forward position for us this summer and showed a great potential as her confidence increases each time on the floor,” Percival said.
Richards is a freshman forward from Spokane, who “has a solid work ethic and great potential for improvement each day.”
The Lady Bluejays open the season in the Crane Lady Pirates Invitational on Nov. 28-Dec. 3.
“We are excited about the upcoming season and are interested to see where we can go,” Percival said. “There have been a number of changes within our group between injuries and transfers. We will be working diligently to mesh everyone together within the team concept. We are hoping for an exciting season!”
