2016-17 basketball preview: Walnut Grove girls

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By Angie Brushwood

The Walnut Grove Lady Tigers finished a 23-10 season with a district title and renewed respect for the young team. But the real prize—a fourth consecutive state title—was just out of reach, and the Lady Tigers intend to seize it this season.

The entire Lady Tigers roster returns this season, with experience and determination under their belts.

“I think our team is more mature this year,” said head coach Rory Henry. “We talk about the process, what it takes to get there and what it takes to be successful. We work on that every day. They do know that we look to the next game, the next play. ‘Play present’–that’s the phrase we use often. I’m excited about this group coming back. We have high expectations and are excited to start.”

Expectations this season are different from this time last year when a significant number of top players had graduated. No players graduated from last year.

“Now we go from a team that felt like we didn’t get the respect we deserved to a team that is expected to go back and compete for a state championship,” said Henry, entering his 8th year coaching the Lady Tigers.

The leadership team of Raylie Hejna and Bayley Harman return for the Lady Tigers, fresh from a disappointing but impressive performance at the Class 2 state tournament.

With Raylie Hejna (sr.) playing on a sprained ankle and three other players in and out with injuries in the four four game against Naylor, the Lady Tigers fought hard but lost 37-32. Hejna played on the bum ankle the following day, propelling the Lady Tigers to a 3rd place Class 2 win over Glasgow with 19 points and 8 rebounds, 52-51. For the season, Hejna averaged 16.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg.

Junior Bayley Harman also scored 19 points against Glasgow.

“Bayley does a little bit of everything for us. She can play inside and outside and is a very tough matchup for most teams,” said Henry. “If you look at her stat line, you can see that she can do it all.”

With an average of 20.1 ppg, 3.7 spg, and 5.4 assists per game, Harman was recognized as Polk County League MVP.

Both Hejna and Harman earned First Team MBCA All-State honors in Class 1.

Sophomore Grace McPhail was second team all-conference a season ago.

“Grace started all 33 games as a freshman and got better every game,” said Henry. “We are looking for her to break out this year on the offensive side. She is strong and can play inside and out.”

Also returning are Kylee Verbeck (sr.), Grace Miller (jr.), and sophomores Taylor Dodson, Myranda McVay, Trinity Parnell, and Aspen White. Freshmen Cortney Stevens, Courtlyn Ryker, and Daisy Dureault provide depth on the bench.

Milestones will likely be marked by Hejna and Coach Henry early in the season. Hejna is approaching 1000 career points, and Henry will likely mark his 200th win as the Lady Tigers coach. His record at Walnut Grove is 186-33.

Harman surpassed 1000 career points in the Final 4 last year as a sophomore.

“We are going to build on what we started last year,” said Henry. “Last year we started at the very bottom. With so many new pieces last year, we started slow. This year we just start building, and I expect us to be better at what we do. We’re going to guard people defensively  and make you take tough shots. Be physical on rebound. Offensively we’re going to try to be efficient and have good possessions. That’s what we do.”

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