By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Caitlin Lamberth is entering her 10th year at Central as she looks to restore the program back to the heights they’ve enjoyed over the last half decade.
The Lady Bulldogs return four starters and should be much improved from last year.
Leading the way are seniors Desteny Pierce and Sandriana Sanders, as well as junior Talia Dyson.
Pierce was a jack of all trades last season, averaging 7.5 points, seven rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 steals. Dyson – a 5-foot-6 guard – added a team-high 11.3 points.
“Desteny is returning for her fourth and final season as a Bulldog,” said Lamberth. “She is hungry to be successful for her senior year and has developed a great attitude, is willing to sacrifice for her team and ready to lead this team. Sandriana has developed some offensive abilities over the offseason. She is going to look to score more on the offensive end and become more of a leader for this team.
“Tee will have a great impact on our program due to her quickness, skill and work ethic on both ends of the floor. She has come back to the school year with a determination to be better and make her team better.”
Lamberth is also excited about a large group of freshmen that she expects to have an immediate impact.
“We have a few freshmen coming in with some abilities to make an impact at any level of play,” said Lamberth. “They have great attitudes, a willingness to be team players and are coachable. They will definitely help improve this program and I am excited to see how they can perform throughout the season.”
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For Central, this season is about righting the ship after going 1-23 in 2022-23. Prior to that, the Lady Bulldogs were over .500 in two of the last three seasons including a district championship in 2021.
Lamberth has never been one to duck big games and that won’t change with Central having non-conference tilts with COC programs Branson and Joplin, as well as small-school powers Clever and Norwood.
If the Lady Bulldogs are to return to being one of the more competitive programs in the Ozarks, Lamberth believes it’ll take them continuing to focus on the little things that it takes to win games and build off of the experience many in the program gained last year.
“We struggled each game last season but I always praised the girls for showing up each and every day to get better,” said Lamberth. “They never hung their heads or made excuses for missing practices. They showed up for each other, they battled together and may have come up short but were always family and had a great bond. I expect that to continue this season and help them improve their chemistry.
“We must be willing to do extra, willing to work on our own to be better basketball players and teammates. We cannot just do what is required, but must encourage each other to work on our game outside of the season and outside of the scheduled time.”
Central will open the 2023-24 regular season by hosting Branson on Dec. 5.
