By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The varsity experience gained last season by the returning Bolivar Lady Liberators should benefit them heading into the 2023-2024 campaign.
Bolivar returns seven players who contributed to the Lady Liberators’ best result with coach Ben Glasgow at the helm. The Lady Liberators finished 19-9 overall and 5-5 in the Ozark Conference before ending their season with a 55-34 loss to Webb City in the Class 5 District 7 semifinal, and head coach Ben Glasgow believes his team will rise to the challenge this season.
“I expect us to be very competitive from the start and to steadily improve throughout the season,” said Glasgow, who enters his fifth season at the helm. “Hopefully, we can compete for a district championship.
“Last year was a big bounce-back season for Bolivar. We started with four seniors who were accompanied by a host of underclassmen. The combination made for great chemistry on the court.”
Glasgow, who is 19 wins from 400 for his career, welcomes Carly Cribbs, Emma Goodman, Kami Bryan, KaCee Jenkins, Mady Niven, Jalynn Walker and Ellie Thomas back to the lineup and looks for them to lead the way for the Lady Liberators.
Carly Cribbs, sophomore guard, Class 5 All-District 7 selection – “Carly made a huge difference in our season last year,” Glasgow said. “She added ballhandling, passing and scoring to our lineup and proved herself to be a very good varsity player as a freshman.”
Kami Bryan, sophomore guard – “Kami played in every game last season and will step into a starting role this year. She is a skilled player with length who has become a good shooter and is already a good rebounder.”
Emma Goodman, sophomore guard – “Emma is another sophomore who played in every game as a freshman from off the bench but will be a full-time starter this season. She is extremely athletic and is an excellent defender and rebounder. She continues to work on her offensive game and will surprise some people with more scoring this year.”
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Mady Niven, senior guard – “Mady is a point guard who offers ballhandling and shooting. She is the ultimate team player who gives us another capable guard to help handle the ball.”
KaCee Jenkins, junior post – “KaCee will help replace some of the size and post play we lost to graduation. She has a chance to be a major contributor to us this season.”
Jalynn Walker, senior forward – “Jalynn is a smart player who is willing to take on any role. She can play on the wing but has no problem going inside to battle with post players. She will be looked upon to give us some much-needed depth.”
Ellie Thomas, senior guard – “Ellie is a senior guard who can make an open shot when given the opportunity.”
A couple of newcomers looking to contribute this season include a familiar face in Megan Howard, as well as Heidi Roweton.
Megan Howard, junior forward – “Megan is returning to play after sitting out her sophomore season, and what a difference she has already made,” Glasgow said. “She gives us size, athleticism, and most importantly, much-needed rebounding. Megan is a fierce competitor who continues to improve in many areas.”
Heidi Roweton, sophomore forward – “Heidi has a chance to gain playing time as the season goes on. She has a nose for the ball and isn’t scared to get in and make a play. Look for huge improvement from her as the season progresses.”
“The biggest challenge at first will be the fact that we are young and have to figure out how to replace key players that were lost to graduation,” Glasgow added.
Bolivar will need to fill the void left by Cora Roweton, Dailynn VanDeren, Sidney Batten and Shelby Larimer.
Cora Roweton – Earned Class 5 All-State, all-district and all-conference honors, while averaging 17.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Roweton finished with 1,216 career points, placing her 11th on Bolivar’s all-time list.
Dailynn VanDeren – Led the team with 8.8 rpg. “Dailynn was an all-round player, who was able to play out away from the basket as well as inside and was a good passer from both positions,” Glasgow said.
Sidney Batten – Named to the Ozark Conference All-Defensive team for two straight seasons, led the team in assists and often guarded the other team’s best player.
Shelby Larimer – Larimer was third on the team in scoring and rebounding, while finishing second in 3-pointers made.
Glasgow said speed and quickness will be the strength of the Lady Liberators this season.
“We have a lot of team speed this year and our team chemistry is good,” Glasgow said. “The kids really like each other.
“Most of my players are in other sports in the fall. We had good attendance over the summer and proved to be competitive against all different kinds of competition.”
First up for the Lady Liberators will be the Morrisville Tournament on Nov. 27-Dec. 2, before they host home games against Springfield Catholic (Dec. 4), Aurora (Dec. 5) and Morrisville (Dec. 11).
