By Chris Parker
Ash Grove girls basketball took a big step forward last season going from seven wins two seasons ago to 16 wins last season.
“We had juniors and seniors return with seasoned experience at the varsity level and adding two freshmen to the varsity allowed some of the returners to be in a more natural and fitting role for our team,” Ash Grove head coach Bryan Dean said.
Millison Sapp was one of those freshmen. She earned first-team all-conference honors in the Southwest Conference.
“She (Sapp) is a player that loves the game and puts in a lot of work playing basketball year-round. She is a great teammate, has a high motor and great ball handling skills, which added scoring and a great offense transition game to our team,” Dean said. “Expectations are for her to become a more complete player of the game she loves. As a point guard, I expect her to expand her “in game” IQ and take command of the floor with the sets and plays. Also, I look for her to focus on being a solid rebounding guard.”
Fellow freshman Bristol Lathrop earned honorable mention all-conference honors.
“She is a player that has high goals and will put in the work to achieve them. She brings great size and athleticism to the floor and will play inside and outside creating mismatches,” Dean said. “She was a force inside this summer, crashing the glass and scoring at the rim. Also, creating opportunities for herself and teams with our offensive actions.”
Seniors Cora Duit and Myah Johnson also return.
Dean on Duit: “(She is) a player that has tons of upside. She will need to demand the ball on offense, can score from inside or outside, rebound, and defensively use her length to defend passing lanes and rim.”
Dean on Johnson: “A player that will help guard bigs in the paint, plus has the ability to shoot out on the perimeter. She will expand the floor for us.”
Freshmen Brooke Nicholson, Alivia Duit, Allie Goodsell and Lacey McCullough will be newcomers to watch.
“We have seasoned returners and bring back most of our scoring from last year, but I believe now we have a bench that will contribute to keeping our play at a high level,” Dean said. “One of our best focuses will be the rebounding aspect on defense and offense.”
Ash Grove will open the season on Nov. 22 at Spokane.
“Our program has a great opportunity as a team,” Dean said. “These players all have the desire to prove something within the Southwest Conference and throughout the season. The program has upperclassmen and returning lettermen with quality varsity minutes and high expectations, which drives us to get back to the Lady Pirates Basketball tradition. We are going to lay out the expectations, focus on the little details and take it a day at a time enjoying the games and teammates. Looking forward to a fun and exciting year.”
