By Chris Parker
Fordland girls basketball won 21 games and the program’s first district title since 2012 last season. The Lady Eagles came up one game short of the Class 2 final four falling to conference rival Norwood in the state quarterfinal round.
“We struggled making shots for the first half of the season,” Fordland head coach Kevin McDaris said. “We could get open, but it was a struggle to score consistently. The last month of the season, we started making some of those shots and our confidence began to improve.”
Emma Trotter and Kenzie Haskins both return after earning first-team all-conference honors last season.
Trotter scored 12.8 points per game with 154 total rebounds and 118 total steals.
“I expect Emma to continue to do the things that make us successful. he is a very intense player and the other girls feed off her energy,” McDaris said. “Emma is good at getting to the rim and finishing.”
Haskins was just behind Trotter at 12.6 points per game.
“Her (Haskins) willingness to look to score (is an area of growth). She has stepped up in big games and made some key shots for us,” McDaris said.
Seniors Shelby Thomason and Riley Rippee along with junior Lily Kindall and sophomore Lauren Bojko also return.
Thomason averaged 3.9 points per game last season.
“Shelby Thomason is a post player who has the ability to step out and hit the 15-foot jump shot,” McDaris said. “She is also a good rebounder.”
Rippee will see an expanded role this season after scoring 21 total points as a junior.
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“Riley Rippee is a hard worker and good rebounder,” McDaris said. “We will look for more scoring from her this year.”
Kindall had averages of 4.1 points per game to go with 81 steals and 33 assists as a sophomore.
“Lily Kindall is very quick and athletic,” McDaris said. “She is our best on the ball defender. She plays with great energy.”
Bojko was an immediate impact player as a freshman averaging 4.6 points per game with 125 total rebounds.
“Lauren Bojko is very athletic and long,” McDaris said. “She came off the bench as a freshman last year. She has the ability to play inside and outside. We expect her to contribute more scoring and rebounding for us this year.”
Britton Suter (junior), Bailey Cook (junior), Eliana Garber (sophomore) and Kayleigh Stemiel (freshman) were all identified by McDaris as newcomers to watch.
“We will be more athletic and long this season. I think we will rely on our defense to give us some scoring opportunities,” McDaris said. “We will need to improve as a team at rebounding, and we need to become more consistent on the offensive end of the floor.”
Fordland opens the season on Nov. 21 at home against Galena.
“We have six players returning from last year’s team,” McDaris said. “They have set high expectations for this season. We made a big jump last season, winning a district title and going to the quarterfinals. We will have to work hard to continue our success. In order to do this, we need to get better on the boards and more consistent on offense. If we can do this, I think we have a chance to once again compete for the conference and district championships.”
