By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Logan-Rogersville Lady Wildcats hope the improvement they showed last season continues into the 2023-2024 campaign.
“The 2022-2023 season was one of growth,” said Cory Watts, who enters his third season as the Lady Wildcats head coach. “Our program took a big step forward finishing the year 14-14. We were very young and inexperienced, had no seniors and started three freshmen most of the year. There were plenty of challenges, but I was pleased with the outcome.”
Logan-Rogersville went 14-14 overall and 5-1 in the Big 8 East Conference to finish second last season, which was a better result than in 2021-2022 when it finished 8-18 overall.
And with a young squad that played a lot of varsity minutes last season, the future looks even brighter for the Lady Wildcats, who return their entire roster from 2022-2023.
“Game experience more than anything will benefit us this year,” Watts said. “We now have eight girls with a lot of varsity game experience. Last year had many firsts for a number of our players – first varsity game, first home game, first conference game, first district game and first championship game.
“Playing in those games prepares you for the next opportunity. We look to be more prepared for all situations this upcoming season.”
The Lady Wildcats return three seniors and five sophomores to the lineup this season.
Sienna Clark, senior guard – Defensive specialist who led the team with 3 assists and 2 steals per game last year. “As a senior, we will look for her to lead with effort and experience,” Watts said.
Chayla Perry, senior forward – Averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per game. “Chayla is another senior that will provide great leadership. She also led the team in charges taken. She is very versatile and is willing to be physical in the post and play on the perimeter.”
Emma Spurlin, senior forward – Averaged 3 ppg and 5 rpg, while battling a thumb injury. “Our most experienced player, Emma has played varsity since her freshman year. We will look for leadership and poise from her this year. She is a very good rebounder and can guard bigger post players. Emma is also capable of shooting from the perimeter and has a very good feel for the game.”
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Hailey Buckman, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard – Averaged 16 ppg, 6 rpg; made 78 3-pointers; named to the All-Big 8 East first team and Class 4 All-District 11. “Hailey had a great freshman year. She gets to the rim and is an excellent perimeter shooter. Hailey is a 5-11 guard that presents matchup problems for opposing teams. We expect more growth from Hailey this year now that she has a year of varsity experience. I would expect her to be one of the better offensive guards in the area this season.”
Eden Kibby, sophomore guard – Averaged 12 ppg, 3 rpg; earned all-district and all-conference honorable mention honors. “Eden had a great freshman year adnd is one of the better 3-point shooters in the area, making 64 3s last year – her range is limitless. We look for her to continue to grow as ballhandler and passer and continue to add to her game offensively.”
Reagan Rasmussen, 6-1 sophomore center – Averaged 10 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 blocks; was an all-district, first-team all-conference and Big 8 All-Defensive Team selection. “Reagan had a tremendous freshman year. At 6-1, she is a matchup problem for most teams. She is an athletic big that can run the floor and stretch the floor when needed. The experience she gained last year should help her on both ends of the floor and we expect her to be one of the premier centers in the area this year.”
Sydney Prenger, sophomore guard – “Sydney came off the bench last season. She is very athletic and brings some intensity to the defensive end of the floor. She is very good in transition and with her strength has the ability to finish at the rim. We will look for her to provide help at all the guard positions.”
Taylor Wray, sophomore guard – “Taylor came off the bench last season. She gained valuable experience in her varsity games last year and plays with passion and competiveness. We will look to her to provide energy off the bench and be a disrupter on the defensive end of the floor. She can help at all the guard positions.”
The Lady Wildcats will bring up two juniors, who will see more, or their first, varsity action, in addition to a freshman class to contribute this season.
Haydan Cleghorn, junior guard – “Haydan is a quick guard that can provide a threat from the perimeter,” Watts said. “We are excited to see the progress she has made since her freshman year.”
Mckenna Johnson, junior forward – “Mckenna will give us some depth at the forward position. She gives great effort and can rebound well. She has shown great improvement since her freshman year.”
Freshman Class – “We have another strong freshman class. It’s too early to tell who might contribute from this group but the potential is there, and we are excited to get them into practice.”
The expectations are high for this year’s squad, and Watts said he expects growth every year, including its first winning season since 2019.
“We expect improvement on the defensive end of the floor and we expect inexperienced play to be a thing of the past,” Watts said. “This program has relied on several excuses to fall back on over the last few years; four coaches in four years and playing underclassmen and inexperienced players.
“Those excuses are no longer acceptable, and our players expect greater things for themselves. No matter what the year, the expectation is always to compete for conference and district titles.”
Logan-Rogersville opens its season in the Fair Grove Tournament beginning Nov. 27, and returns home to host Ava (Dec. 4) and Nevada (Dec. 11).
“The biggest obstacle we face is our schedule,” Watts said. “We play some really good teams; every year we play several ranked teams and larger schools. It is a grind and that can wear on you as the season progresses.
“I really like what we can do offensively. We can score the ball several different ways. We have size and we have gotten more athletic. Our team’s strength is our ability to score, and if we want to be exceptional, we are going to find a way to be better defensively and rebound the ball better.”
