By Nolan Epstein (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Things are about to get a lot more challenging for the School of the Ozarks girls basketball team this winter, but the Lady Patriots are going to be ready.
S of O, which finished last season with a 13-12 record, is making the jump to Class 2 this season, which means a higher level of competition – something that head coach Andrea Martin’s squad struggled with a year ago, but in 2016-17, the Lady Patriots are vigorously preparing for what they’re going to be facing.
“This year will be different,” Martin said. “All of our practices will be geared toward doing what it takes to beat the Class 2 and 3 schools on our schedule and we will see where that takes us.”
The Lady Patriots will be hit with the likes of Bradleyville, Spokane, Hurley and Clever this year – all teams that are coming off strong 2015-16 campaigns.
They’ll compete in those games without the luxury of having first team all-conference selection Hannah Duncan, who averaged 15 PPG, 8 RPG and 3.5 SPG during her standout senior season.
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“Hannah’s numbers will be hard to replace,” said Martin of Duncan. “She was our team’s quiet, hard-working leader who loved the sport of basketball and loved to compete.”
S of O also sees the graduation of Emily Brown (5.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG), who was all-conference honorable mention last year.
That means the next girl up is senior Evie Carswell (8.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG), who averaged more than twice as many points per game last season than anyone on the current roster. Carswell will look to exceed last season’s performance that led her to achieve second team all-conference.
“Evie [Carswell] has grown leaps and bounds as a basketball player,” Martin said. “This year, I see her dominating the boards, stepping up her offensive game even more and taking on the challenge of making it difficult for other post players to score around the basket.”
There is no shortage of experience on this year’s roster as four additional seniors join Carswell, including Emma Mackey (3.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG), Nicole Voerman (1.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG), Sierra Saffle (1.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG) and Peyton Lammert (1 PPG, 1 RPG).
Even with all of her seniors, Martin is also very high on sophomore newcomer Ariel Fowler, who transfers in from Alpena, Arkansas. Standing at 5-foot-3, Fowler is a do-it-all athlete who can attack the basket, shoot from long range, handle the basketball and play tough defense.
“Ariel [Fowler] will be a dynamic player who will be fun to watch for the next three years,” added Martin. “Basketball is her passion. I look forward to watching her fill a vital role on this senior-heavy team, even as a sophomore.”
As the season gets closer by the day, optimism surrounding the Lady Patriots just keeps rising.
“I’m so excited to see what this season holds, the challenges our team will overcome and the memories we will make together,” Martin said. “I truly believe that if the team works to its full potential, we can conquer anything that comes our way.”
