By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Scott Moore has Carthage heading in the right direction. Coming off of a 12-15 season that saw the Lady Tigers drop five games by seven points or less, Moore and Carthage are looking to take the next step in the COC.
Leading the way are a trio of juniors that gained valuable experience last year.
“Our top-eight rotation players coming into this season have all played pretty significant varsity minutes last year,” said Moore. “They will be used to varsity speed and strength from the get-go this year. It also allows us to add nuances to our players and schemes because they already have a strong knowledge base of what we do here at Carthage. Hopefully, they will also help tutor the newer varsity contributors to get them up to speed as soon as possible.”
Lauren Choate – a 5-foot-7 combo guard – is the team’s returning scoring leader after averaging 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and 2.5 steals.
Maggie Boyd – a 5-foot-8 point guard – will take over for the graduated Kianna Yates who leaves as one of the best players in program history. She averaged nine points, 2.5 assists and 3.5 steals last season.
Lexa Youngblood is a scrappy post that averaged five points and three rebounds despite often being the smallest big on the floor.
“Lauren is a good shooter who will need to up her scoring to over 15 ppg for us to be successful this year,” said Moore. “Entering her third year on the varsity, I expect Lauren to raise her game in all statistical categories and assume a larger leadership role this season.
“Maggie will be our primary point guard this year. We will need her to distribute the ball to her teammates, but also create her own shot at times. She is a spark plug on both ends that is capable of giving teams fits for all 94 feet of the court. Lexa spent last season being an undersized post for us. Hopefully this year she can spend more time in her natural guard position where she’s much more able to use her athleticism to score points for the team.”
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Senior Trisha Kanas, as well as a trio of juniors – Jaidyn Brunnert, Ashlyn Brust and Zye Clark – will all see significant action.
Kanas is a 5-foot-5 guard that is dynamic in transition and gives Carthage instant energy. Brust will join her in the backcourt, a 5-foot guard that loves to play at a fast pace.
Clark and Brunnert will help bolster Carthage’s frontcourt. Clark is a 5-foot-10 defensive anchor that can also finish in traffic. Brunnert is undersized, but her athleticism allows her to play on the perimeter or in the post.
Carthage was 10-0 last year when scoring at least 60 points. The Lady Tigers won three of their last four games entering district play, scoring at least 62 points in all three of those games.
Moore is hopeful that playing faster will continue to lead to wins for the Lady Tigers.
“We will need to use pace and tempo to our advantage this year,” said Moore. “We won’t be the tallest team in the league, so we will need to use our speed, aggressiveness, intelligence and shooting abilities to compete for COC and District Titles.”
Carthage will jamboree at McAuley on Nov. 14 before opening the 2023-24 season on Dec. 1 by hosting the Carthage Lady Tigers Invitational.
