By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Veteran head coach Ben Glasgow’s first season at Bolivar had its share of growing pains, as the Lady Liberators finished with a 7-19 record.
Three graduated seniors depart the program in Sarah Green, Emma Henderson and Madison Austin.
Despite the challenges and graduation losses, Glasgow has plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into the 2020-21 campaign.
“I’m excited for this season,” Glasgow said. “We started last year with a season ending injury to a key player in our very first game. It took a lot of adapting and adjusting to find what worked for us. We finished the season playing the best we had all year.”
The Lady Liberators will be led by a quartet of returning starters, including all district guard Lexi Berry.
The 5-foot-6 senior averaged 18.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game last season.
“Lexi Berry is an outstanding player who can contribute in every aspect,” Glasgow said. “She is a great scorer, passer and defender who has handled all kinds of pressure thrown at her last season.”
Berry will be joined by classmates Trinity Williamson (9.9 ppg, 11 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.1 spg), Cara Larimore (3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg), Ashton Lynn and Emily Hogan.
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“Trinity Williamson’s incredible athleticism has mader her into one of the best rebounders I have ever coached,” Glasgow said. “Cara Larimore was a starter in all 26 games last season and will be a major part of the core group that returns, while Ashton Lynn brings energy to the court every time she plays.”
Junior McKinley Hodges also returns to the varsity roster, along with a trio of sophomores — Cora Roweton, Dailynn Vanderen and Shelby Larimer — who played substantial minutes last season.
Roweton, a 6-foot post, provided Bolivar with some much-needed size under the basket and averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
“Cora Roweton got a lot of experience last year as a freshman at the varsity level and handled herself quite well,” Glasgow said. “She has an ability to score from the post position, and her size allows us to put a much bigger lineup on the floor.”
Bolivar’s lineup should also get a boost from a pair of varsity newcomers eager to make an impact in junior Audrey Graves and sophomore Sidney Batten.
With four returning starters and a developing younger group, Bolivar has the components in place to make significant strides this season.
“We found some lineups that worked really well for us at the end of last year, and we were able to pick up where we left off over the summer,” Glasgow said. “We scored from more positions on the court this summer and improved our ball movement immensely. The team seems to be more and more comfortable playing with each other, and their trust in each other continues to grow.”
Depth could play a big role this season, as Covid-19 challenges require teams to constantly adjust to ever-changing conditions.
“Our biggest x-factor will be staying healthy,” Glasgow said. “Our players and staff will be constantly reminded of our responsibilities to each other and do all we can to stay healthy and be available for our team.”
Bolivar opens its season Nov. 30 at home against Stockton.
