By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Basketball season is underway in Missouri. Below are the area’s Class 2 Girls Basketball Players to Watch this year.
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Chloe Cornelison & Libby Lakey, Dadeville Seniors
Cornelison and Lakey have helped turn around a program that hadn’t been over .500 in nearly a decade. Cornelison averaged 12 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Lakey put up 11.5 points and led Dadeville in assists and steals. They’re one of the best inside-out duos in Class 1.
Bella Harter, Billings Senior
The best way to describe Harter is just active. As a junior she averaged 22 points and 11.9 rebounds, while also collecting 81 blocks and 52 steals. She’s as much of a force defensively as she is on the offensive end where she’s unstoppable if there’s not a double team sent.
Adrien Neill, Lockwood Junior
There’s something very unique when the coach-player relationship is a family bond. Neill is the younger sister of head coach Rylee Neill, who was also a Lockwood standout. Their games are a little different, with the older sister being a better shooter and scorer, while the younger sister is a better defender with positional versatility. She averaged 12 points, four rebounds and 1.6 steals as a sophomore.
Chloe Pearson, Wheatland Junior
Pearson is the daughter of a coach and it reflects in how she plays the game. Her sophomore year saw her pick up All-District and All-Polk County League honors. She’s also the player that tossed in a 70-foot buzzer-beater a couple of years ago. She’s highly competitive and her motor is always running.
Kyndall Scott, Golden City Senior
The last three years in Golden City have seen Scott go crazy, totaling 1,145 points. As a junior she averaged 12.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals, helping lead GC to its first district title in more than a decade. The Eagles have put together three straight winning seasons with Scott after having just one in the previous 12 years prior to her entering high school.
Ellie Smith & Jacie Gavisk, Walnut Grove Sophomores
Rory Henry has coached some of the best players in Walnut Grove history and Smith is on track to throw her name into the hat with the Harmans and Gilkeys of the world. Smith averaged 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, four assists and 3.3 steals. She was All-State and the Polk County League MVP. It’s just the beginning of what could be something uniquely special. For years Walnut Grove has played small ball with few exceptions and Gavisk will go down as one of the best posts the program has seen. She averaged 10.9 points and 9.5 rebounds, totaling 25 points and 25 rebounds in two games.
Marlie Wright, Greenfield Senior
Wright put together nine 20-point games as a junior, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds. Wright was the Class 2 – District 13 Player of the Year. She’s one of the best offensive players in Class 2.
India Willis & Brooklyn Duggan, Macks Creek Sophomores
You won’t see many seasons more productive than what Willis did last year, especially from a freshman. The All-State selection averaged 24.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.7 steals with eight 30-point games and 10 double-doubles, guiding Macks Creek to a 23-3 record. Duggan added 15 points, 5.3 assists and four steals. She’s one of the area’s best playmakers and is pesky on defense. The Macks Creek-Walnut Grove matchups will be epic for the next three years.
Honorable Mention
Lily Black, McAuley Catholic Senior
Ashtyn Callaway, Niangua Junior
Kenzie Clendenning, Billings Junior
Ryleigh Gearing, Billings Junior
Kerrigan Guerin, Chadwick Sophomore
Gabbi Hiebert, Thomas Jefferson Junior
Meghan Hoxsie, Fair Play Senior
Jaedyn Johnson, Walnut Grove Senior
Maliah Kenney, Humansville Senior
Deborah Lamb, Sheldon Senior
Trista Torres, Greenfield Senior
Kylee Scott, Golden City Junior
