By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Despite the adversity the Central Lady Bulldogs faced last season with losing a senior starter to a season-ending injury, coach Caitlin Lamberth says her team is eager for brighter days in 2024-2025.
“Adversity will always be there, and other teams face it, too,” said Lamberth, who enters her 12th year as the Lady Bulldogs head coach. “We can’t let that get in our way of the work that still needs to be done. Our girls will still need to stick together and put in the work for our team to be successful. Our girls are hungry to get better and excited for the challenge.”
Central, which finished 2-24 overall, will be moving to the Central Ozark Conference after competing in the Ozark Conference, and Lamberth said they are “excited for the challenge.”
“Going into this new season, we have a lot of positive, hard-working student-athletes who really work well together,” Lamberth said. “They have a strong bond and have a passion for basketball. They are eager to learn and want to pursue the game of basketball. I am eager to get into the swing of things with them and see how much better they can get together.”
And that starts with returning seniors Talia Dyson and Mallory Stockwell, junior Annalis Freeman and sophomore NeHeMiah Rady.
Talia Dyson, senior guard – “Tee is a very talented point guard with a pure jump shot, a quick first step, great ballhandling skills and is an overall skilled basketball player,” Lamberth said. “She is an effort player. She will provide all-out maximum effort for her team and loves the game. We appreciate her on and off the court. She’s smart, skilled, respectful and coachable. Her senior year is going to be one to look out for. Dyson is very close to reaching her 1,000th career point. With her scoring ability, she will surely reach it soon in the season. (We’re) excited to see what she’s capable of in her last year as a Bulldog.”
Mallory Stockwell, senior guard – “Mallory is a spunky player that gets her energy on the defensive end. She’s so energetic and all over you as a defensive menace that I really look to her to cause problems for the other team’s ballhandler. She is also another maximum effort player and will give her all to the team when she’s on the court.”
Annalise Freeman, junior guard – “Annalise has played varsity since being a freshman and grown tremendously as a player. Her effort and hard work never go unnoticed, and it is always hard to take her off the floor because of it. She’s the player that every coach loves to have on their team because of her extra effort plays. She’s willing to sacrifice for the team, willing to lead by example and not afraid to do what is right on and off the court. She’s developed into quite the skilled basketball player and we are excited about her junior year for us.”
NeHeMiah Rady, sophomore forward – “NeHeMiah is a 6-foot player that provides our team with length and athleticism. We may be a small team, but with her size, we can run the floor and use her size to gain some inside advantage. She has worked hard all summer to gain strength and footwork skills that are going to make her a threat around the basket. We are excited to see her hard work pay off this season.”
The Lady Bulldogs will add some much-needed depth this season in sophomores Amanada Fajardo and Shiloh Bulahan, and junior Jesi Allen.
Amanada Fajardo, sophomore guard – “Amanda is coming into the varsity level with just one year under her belt, but she loves basketball,” Lamberth said. “She is a shooter that has a lot of confidence and when left open, can knock the shot down with the best of them. I look forward to seeing what she can do and throughout the season. I know she is going to get better and better.”
Shiloh Bulahan, sophomore guard – “Shiloh is a left-handed guard who has a sweet shot and can handle the ball for our team. She is going to help our ballhandlers and look to shoot the ball from 3.”
Jesi Allen, junior guard – “Jesi has worked hard over the summer to develop her game and will be looked upon to handle the ball and score. She can shoot off the dribble and can defend well.”
Central has some big shoes to fill with the graduation of four-year varsity player, Desteny Pierce, who is now playing at Mission University.
“Desteny was our starting point guard who will be missed as she led our team both on the offensive end and on the defensive end,” Lamberth said. “She was our high-IQ player, making our offense go and anticipating on defense well. She averaged just under 10 points per game and just under 10 rebounds per game.”
Central opens the regular season at home against Marionville on Dec. 9 and travels to Branson on Dec. 10.
“The offseason has been good for our athletes,” Lamberth said. “They have worked on the court and in the weight room to become better athletes. I love their work ethic. They do not complain and they stick together.”
