By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Learning to overcome adversity by coming together helped the Rolla Lady Bulldogs to a successful season in 2021-2022.
The Lady Bulldogs had three starters miss the majority of the season with injury, but were able to win the Rolla Holiday Tournament, the Lady Cat Classic (at Rogersville) and finish 22-7 overall and 8-2 in the Ozark Conference. Their season ended with a loss to eventual Class 5 champion, West Plains, in the Class 5 District 5 final.
To have another successful season, the Lady Bulldogs will have to replace some key losses to graduation in Savannah Campbell, Carlie Libhart, Taniya Corely and Madison Mace.
• Savannah Campbell. Averaged 14 points per game and 8 rebounds per game; earned all-state, all-district and all-conference honors. Currently playing at Pittsburg State. “Savannah will be missed by our program,” Rolla head coach Charley Parker said. “Her leadership, hard work and dedication she had for the game is missed. She was a three-year starter for our program and was a big presence in the paint on both ends of the court.”
• Carli Libhart. Averaged 9 ppg, 2.1 apg and is currently playing at Westminister College. “Carli’s floor presence will be missed. She was our point guard for three years. Carli’s ability to shoot the ball at a high percentage from beyond the arc and ability to get to the rim to open things up for the rest of her teammates will be missed. Carli was a great teammate who set a great example for the future Lady Bulldogs.”
• Taniya Corely. Averaged 7 ppg, 1.9 apg, currently playing at Crowder College. “Taniya will be missed tremendously in our program. Her knowledge and IQ for the game were extremely high; she was like a second coach out on the floor. She was one of our top defenders and had the ability to create and score the ball as well. Her work ethic and how she treated her teammates set a great positive example for the younger kids on our squad.”
• Madison Mace. Averaged 8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg “Madison Mace will be missed from our program. Her on ball defensive pressure and ability to knock it down from beyond the arc will be hard to replace.”
Parker said he looks for his team to be competitive again this season, despite losing four key contributors.
“I feel the core group I have coming back should pick it right back up,” Parker said. “We will look different this year. For the past six or seven seasons, the Rolla Lady Bulldogs have had some size. That will not be the case this year. We lack some size but should be able to make it up in our quickness and athleticism.
“I still think we could have a ball club that could potentially have another 20-win season as long as we stay healthy and humble.”
The Lady Bulldogs will look to Willow Gideon, Jessica Pritchett, Faith Coates and Resa Martin to lead the way and continue the team’s recent success.
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• Willow Gideon, 5-foot-10 junior guard. Averaged 13 ppg, 46 percent from 3-point range, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg; named all-conference and all-district. “Willow is one of the best shooters in south central Missouri,” Parker said. “She has put in a ton of work this offseason developing into a more well-rounded player. Willow can score it at a high level and I expect that to take a leap this year. I look for Willow to really take off this season, helping lead us to another successful year.”
• Jessica Pritchett, 5-11, senior forward – Averaged 7 ppg, 38 percent from 3, 6.1 rpg, Evangel volleyball commit. “Jessica, along with Willow, started for us all year last season. She was our second-leading rebounder and does a great job defensively, being able to guard 1-5. I look for her to step up even more on both ends of the floor this year and fill a leadership role for us as well.”
• Faith Coates, 5-7 senior guard – Averaged 5.2 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 spg and is a returning starter. “Faith stepped up last year in the point guard role, leading our squad. I look for her to have a breakout year. Faith can shoot it well from beyond the 3-point line and also does a great job attacking the rim and facilitating. I expect good things from Faith this year. I think she is highly capable of running the show for us again this year.”
• Resa Martin, 5-9 junior guard. Averaged 6.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg. “Resa, who was new to the Lady Bulldog program, has become a great fit for us. Last year as a sophomore was an adjustment year and I feel the sky’s the limit for this young lady. She is very athletic and has improved tremendously from last year. She has the ability to shoot it well from beyond the arc and does a really good job attacking off the dribble. Her athleticism and quickness will help us on both ends of the court this season. She will be asked to fill the void on the rebounds and she already has the ability to score it at an efficient level.”
Parker said his team’s biggest strength will be their athleticism and quickness.
“We will have to speed the game up to work in our favor,” Parker said. “I have multiple girls who can score at a high level. We are just going to have to work hard on the defensive end to get more possessions.”
Newcomers who Parker thinks will make an impact this season include Kori Alcorn, Brooke Bleckman and Riley Ball.
• Kori Alcorn, 5-7, junior guard. “This will be Kori’s first year as a Lady Bulldog,” Parker said. “I think she has a great opportunity to be one of the better guards in central Missouri. She attacks the rim really well, shoots it at a high percentage from beyond the arc and has one of the better court visions of any young lady I have coached.”
• Brooke Bleckman, 5-8, sophomore guard. “This will be Brooke’s first year at the varsity level. She had a great summer for us, showing that she could handle it at this level. I think she will be a key to us defensively and helps give us some depth.”
• Riley Ball, 5-9, sophomore guard. “Riley, along with Brooke, could add some depth for us on the defensive end of the floor. She is extremely athletic and could help us on the glass.”
• Rylie Bales, 5-7 junior. “Rylie bales will find her way into playing a pivotal role this season at the varsity level. Her athleticism helps add depth to our squad. She will help us tremendously on the defensive end and does a really great job of attacking the basket.”
“Depth could be a challenge (this season),” Parker said. “We could possibly only play 7-8 kids this year at the varsity level. We have some that could come up and fill minutes but really need another year to develop. We will have to learn how to stay out of foul trouble and stay healthy in order to have a successful year.”
The Lady Bulldogs take on that challenge in the Rolla Shootout on Nov. 18 against district opponent Marshfield.
“I think our whole squad could surprise some people next year,” Parker said. “I think losing a big core of our last three years of success – Savannah Campbell, Taniya Corley, Carli Libart and Madison Mace – could make some people look past us.”
