By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
What should you expect out of the area’s Class 1 girls district basketball tournaments? Find out below.
Walnut Grove will win state in Class 1
I say that with the same certainty that I say Strafford will win a state championship. This Walnut Grove team has been as dominant as any in terms of how untouchable they are in Class 1. Some of their wins have been just bonkers. Class 5 Ozark, Class 4 Rogersville and Class 4 St. Charles are all on Walnut Grove’s resume, as are Class 2s Mid-Buchanan, Fordland, Hartville, Miller and Crane. The Lady Tigers have also had decisive wins over Class 1 powers Wheatland and Hermitage.
Really, this is a passing of the guard. Bayley Harman is over 2,000 career points and continues to be better than most people despite playing on one leg. But, if you thought this was the end of the family tree you’d be wrong. Myranda and Makayla McVay are cousins of Harman, which means the family domination of Class 1 basketball has at least three more seasons following 2018.
Really, it’s that freshman group that has added a new dynamic for Rory Henry. Harman, McVay, Grace McPhail and Grace Miller are all back after starting in last year’s state championship game, but the emergence of the youngest McVay, as well as Lauren Johnson and Faith Gilkey have added depth and additional scorers that WG hasn’t had in recent years. These three will be looked at the way former Crane stars Emma Lander (Johnson), Kylee Moore (McVay) and Lexie Vaught (Gilkey) are. They also might walk away with four state championships.
So, be excited that Dawn Harman’s children – who combined for more than 6,000 points in a Walnut Grove uniform – are officially done. But, Rory Henry is again sitting on a gold mine.
Hermitage looking for revenge in District 7
Hermitage has quietly had an insanely good year and after back-to-back district title defeats, the Lady Hornets are looking for their first district title since 2015. This is a group that has won 83 games over the last four years, with seniors Sadi Hostettler (19.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.7 APG) and Sheridan Corum (15.8 PPG, 5 APG, 4.4 SPG) being a major part of that; they’ve combined for nearly 3,000 points in their four years. Sophomore Makayla Hostettler (12.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG) has added another dynamic to this group. Hermitage has won nine of its last 10 games, with the loss coming at Walnut Grove. They also beat 2-seed Wheatland twice and split with 3-seed Lakeland. Outside of Walnut Grove, Hermitage has clearly been the most dominant Class 1 team in the Ozarks. The question is can they get over the district championship hump.
New schedule, deeper run for Bradleyville
The Lady Eagles have won 99 games in five seasons under Autumn Thomas but after losing in last year’s district championship game to Couch – despite being the No. 1 seed – Thomas made a change. She added Class 3 MV-BT/Liberty, Class 2s Blue Eye and Fordland to the schedule, hoping to make her team more battle-tested. So far, so good. Bradleyville was competitive, but more importantly saw a level of competition they won’t see in Class 1 until the Final Four. Bradleyville has won 13 of its last 14 games and the development of the supporting cast around Kourtney Shipley has been key. Younger sister Grace Shipley (14.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG) has 16 double-doubles. Sophomore Emily Williams (12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG) has six double-doubles of her own and senior Dorian Hayes could return from injury this week. This could be a Final Four team.
Senior Kourtney Shipley, who has committed to Crowder College, is also winding down one of the most prolific careers in program history. She surpassed the 2,000-point mark last week. Although her numbers are down a little (18.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.4 SPG) her impact is not. She’s been a willing passer which has made the Lady Eagles more balanced. But, Shipley is also heating up. She’s averaging 24.7 points and six assists over her last seven games.
Wheatland looks for a three-peat
The Lady Mules have won back-to-back district championships, beating Polk County League rival Hermitage in each of those title runs. This team has a few losses, but it could turn out to be a blessing. Coach Bryan challenged his group, throwing them in the Pink and White Lady Classic where they saw Strafford and Class5s Glendale and Parkview. Wheatland does own wins over Parkview, Spokane and two over formerly state-ranked Lakeland. It’s again a balanced attack with junior Madi Sutt (16.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG) and senior Gracie Fatino (14.2 PPG, five RPG) leading the way. Sophomore Aleah Asasre is chipping in 13.4 points, six rebounds and five assists a night. Sutt is already past the 1,500 mark and Fatino is nearing it. They’ve dropped two against 1-seed Hermitage already but hosting the district changes things. The Mules have won 13 of their last 15 at home.
X-Factors
Shelby Willis, Macks Creek
It seems like she’s been in high school forever. Willis is nearing her 100th game and her 1,500th point. Her senior year has been slowed by injuries, but the Lady Pirates have been competitive. They’ve given Hermitage and Lakeland a run. Beating any team three times in a season is hard, which is what Hermitage would have to do to advance to the district finals. Maybe Willis and company can do the unthinkable.
Annie Swaters, Lakeland
She’s been a scoring machine since Day One and this year has been no exception. She’s averaging 19.3 points, 7.4 RPG and 1.5 BPG. The 5-foot-10 junior is nearing the 1,500-point mark and Lakeland has won nine of its last 10 games. They split with the district’s top seed Hermitage, which is a promising sign, but dropped a pair of contests with Wheatland, who is the 2-seed in the district. Freshman Madison Thompson (13.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG) gives the Lady Vikings two legitimate scoring threats.
Lily White, Humansville
This is a program that was an afterthought for years, winning 16 games total from 2012-17. But, second-year coach Gerald Knight has Humansville above .500 for the first time since 2011-12 and much of it is due to the production of junior Lily White. She’s averaging 19.6 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4.5 SPG and 4.1 APG, all of which are team-highs.
