By Chris Parker
The McAuley Catholic girls basketball team has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons. The Lady Warriors will be looking to make that three in a row with a pair of returning first-team all-conference guards back to lead the way.
Seniors Kayleigh Teeter and Kennedy DeRuy both earned first-team all-conference honors last year.
Teeter currently sits at 1,153 points for her career and is on pace to break the all-time girls scoring record at McAuley Catholic. She averaged 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.3 steals per game last year. DeRuy is 91 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She averaged 15 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game last year.
“Kayleigh is a four-year starter and captain of our team. She can score from anywhere and is one of the best defenders in the area. Kennedy is a three-year starter and captain of our team. She can score from anywhere and is a good rebounder and defender,” McAuley Catholic head coach Mike Howard said. “They both will play at the next level, as they are seeing interests in colleges. They have worked extremely hard to get to where they are at and will both go down as two of the best players in this school’s history.”
That duo has not only helped McAuley Catholic to back-to-back district titles, but last year the Lady Warriors advanced to the Class 1 state quarterfinals before falling to Walnut Grove.
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Junior center Lily Black and sophomore guard Kloee Williamson also return.
Black averaged 4.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last year.
“Lily is our starting post player. She sat out her freshman year but decided to return last season,” Howard said. “She was very raw at first but grew tremendously throughout the year. She is a great rebounder and passer out of the post. We will look for her to be a key contributor this season.”
Williamson averaged 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game last year.
“Kloee is scrappy and a very good defender. She gets a lot of deflections that create turnovers. She has speed so we will look to utilize her in our transition offense,” Howard said.
A quartet of newcomers in senior Avery Eminger, junior Aaliyah Perez and sophomores Avery Gardner and Kaitlyn Bates will be key players this year.
Howard on Eminger: “Avery played with us her freshman year but then transferred to Joplin but sat out last season with an injury. She is a tall post that can rebound. She can also score from mid-range and closer. She will be a great addition to our team.”
Howard on Perez: “Aaliyah saw limited varsity action last season. She is a good shooter, and we will rely on her to play a bigger role this season.”
Howard on Gardner: “Avery saw limited varsity action last season. She is a good defender and rebounder. We will count on her to step in and have a bigger role this season.”
Howard on Bates: “Kaitlyn has worked hard in the weight room to get stronger. We will rely on her to get some back-up post play this year.”
McAuley Catholic will go as their established leaders do this year.
“Experience in big games and leadership from our captains (will be strengths),” Howard said. “We have several girls that have played fairly deep into the playoffs, so they know the pressure that comes with it. We also have fantastic captains that are like coaches on the floor.”
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McAuley Catholic will host Carthage and College Heights for a jamboree on Nov. 16. The Lady Warriors will open the season on Nov. 23 at Liberal.
“I always have high expectations for my teams. This season is no different,” Howard said. “We return most of our core players from last year’s quarterfinal team including our top two scorers. We finished the season ranked eighth in Class 1 after losing to perennial powerhouse Walnut Grove in the quarterfinals. I look for us to use the experience we gained last year and carry that over into this year. If we stay humble and have the right mindset, we have the ability to compete for a conference championship and also have a good chance to make another run in the state tournament.”
