By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
They battled adversity and finished with a 12-win season, but the Cassville Lady Wildcats only lost one to graduation and return ready to work.
Cassville will need to replace the leading scorer and rebounder, but they bring back battle-tested athletes. “Compared to last year, we return a lot of experience,” said third-year head coach Clayton Bagby.
Kyler Hayward is a two-year starting point guard and a senior. She was injured in the fourth quarter of the first game last year and didn’t return until January. “We missed her presence and on-court communication,” said Bagby. He noted Hayward plays larger than her size and is a good facilitator on offense.
Classmate Hailey Gautney started in 20 games last year, and the athletic forward is expected to increase her offensive presence this season.
Emmy Ramaeker is Cassville’s defensive stopper and has served in that role for two years. She started in most of last year’s games and is expected to make an impact on offense.
Aubrey Stoufer (5’10”, junior) handled point guard duties at the beginning of last year due to Hayward’s injury and grew into that role. “She became more comfortable as the year went on and had some big games for us towards the end,” said Bagby. “We are expecting another big step this year out of Aubrey.”
Senior Kyla Bowling is an athletic guard who will be looking for the right fit in the line-up.
Sophomore twins Audrey and Taylor Kennedy also return. Audrey started all but one game as a freshman and was the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 7.4 points per game. “Like Stoufer, she had a lot of point guard responsibilities early, and we look for her to take a step forward this year on both sides,” said Coach Bagby. Taylor (5’8”) was the JV’s MVP last season and split time between JV and varsity. “Taylor is one of our better shooters on the team,” said Bagby. “She will see an expanded role at the varsity level.”
Avery Stokes (6’0”, sophomore) served as sixth man as a freshman and had a few starts. “With Avery’s height, she has a strong presence defensively around the basket and rebounding,” said her coach. “Avery had a good summer, and we expect her to take and excel in a full-time starting role this year.”
Coach Bagby said his team had a slow start at 1-5, but they played the last 21 games over .500 and finished 3-3 in the Big 8 Conference. “Hopefully we can build on that experience,” he added.
Bagby noted the Big 8 Conference will be tough as Aurora and Mt. Vernon return. Mac County won the division last year and also return most of their roster, and Aurora returns everyone following a quarterfinal run. “Most teams are returning a lot from solid teams last year, so the conference overall should be very competitive,” he said.
Depth is a team strength; in addition to eight returning lettermen, more could contribute in a varsity role. “We have areas we need to continue to improve, but I think we have a group that is willing to work to continue getting better,” said Bagby.
The Lady Wildcats will travel to Mt. Vernon for a jamboree against Mt. Vernon and Blue Eye on November 21. They will host their season opener on November 25 against Pierce City.
