By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Miller Lady Cardinals have been one of the area’s most successful programs over the past three seasons.
Miller has won three straight district championships and finished with 25 or more wins each season during that span.
One goal still lingers on the “To do” list.
Getting to the final four and competing for a state championship.
“This team has had a lot of success in the past but have yet to get to the spot they want,” said Miller’s new head coach, Sean Price. “Our goal this season is to be prepared to win when it matters. If we take it one day at a time and learn to be hard workers, good things can happen.
“Our outlook is to get better every day. We’ll practice really hard each day and work to be really good at executing both offensively and defensively.”
Miller has been up on the cusp of the final four the past three seasons. Each time, the Lady Cardinals lost in the quarterfinal round.
The good news: Most of the players on last season’s team were juniors or sophomores.
Miller returns all but one player from a 28-win team. The Lady Cardinals will again feature superb scoring balance.
“We have a lot of girls returning with varsity playing time. Girls that have played and won big games,” Price said. “Another strength of this team is we are not just dependent on one player. This team could have a different leading scorer every night and still win games. We won’t depend on one person doing everything. We’ll rely on each other to win games.”
Price will pull double duty this season as the head coach for both of Miller’s varsity teams.
He became the head coach of the Miller boys last season after previously coaching in Gentry, Arkansas.
When Miller needed a new girls’ basketball head coach after last season, school administration offered the spot to Price.
“It was an easy decision for me because of my great coaching staff, the great players on the boys’ and girls’ teams, the great administration we have at Miller and because of the community support we have,” he said. “Without those four factors, I don’t think I would have taken on this responsibility.”
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The Lady Cardinals have a stellar senior class leading the way.
Claudia Hadlock, Kaylee Helton, and Payten Richardson all scored 11 or more points per game last season, but their overall contributions go much deeper.
Hadlock is a “do-it-all” guard who affects the game in multiple ways. She averaged nearly 15 points plus five rebounds, five assists and four steals per game last season.
“She can score at all three levels and has a high basketball IQ, which allows her to be good at all aspects of the game,” Price said. “Claudia will play a lot of point guard for us this year and she has the ability to be a very good shooter. We look for Claudia to take a step up on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor this year, as well as being one of our leaders.”
Helton led Miller in scoring (15.6 ppg) and was tied for first in rebounding (6.1 rpg) last season. She brings skill, versatility and leadership to the floor.
“Kaylee can go inside and score on smaller players and she can step out and go by bigger defenders,” Price said. “We want her to be a great defender and a great rebounder for us, as well as be able to score. She has a great understanding of the game, which allows her to be a vocal leader on the floor.”
Richardson, too, can fill out a stat sheet any night. She averaged nearly 11 points to go with three rebounds, three steals and three assists per game last season. She brings energy on both ends of the floor.
“She can get to the rim and score and has potential to be one of the better defenders in the area,” Price said. “She is a very hard worker and has the drive to be a great player. She’ll look to be a more consistent scorer and continue to play with a high level of energy on both ends of the floor.”
Richardson is nearing a career milestone. She enters her senior season with 932 career points. Hadlock and Helton surpassed 1,000 career points last season.
Miller welcomes back a fourth senior in Ashten Kingsley. She played in only 10 games last season due to injury.
At 6’1”, Kingsley gives Miller some much-needed size around the basket.
“We will need Ashten to play extremely hard and be a player that excels on the defensive end of the floor and with rebounding,” Price said. “She also has the ability to step out and make open shots, which can cause problems for the defense. If she can take the next step in her game, she will be a difference-maker in our season.”
Miller returns three juniors who all played on varsity as sophomores.
Alyssa Hill is a returning starter who provides perimeter shooting and aggressive defense. She’ll often matchup against the opposition’s top scorer.
“She plays extremely hard and that makes it tough to take her out of the game,” Price said. “She will be asked to focus a lot on defense and will take on the role of guarding the other team’s best players.”
Haylie Schnake is an under-the-radar player who could be poised for a breakout season.
“Haylie brings a lot of skills that go unnoticed to people outside of our team. She is developing into a very good basketball player,” Price said. “She will be asked to be a great defender and rebounder and someone that takes great shots and doesn’t turn the ball over.
“She’s athletic enough to get to the rim and score and can have a major impact on the defensive ends of the floor. Haylie showed a lot of growth this summer.”
Hailey Mart played in 19 games last season and gives Miller additional backcourt depth.
“She can shoot the basketball and has a chance to have a good role on our team,” Price said.
Miller, coming off a 28-2 season, will try to reach the final four for the first time since 2010.
The Lady Cardinals blew out Pierce City and Sarcoxie to win their district tournament.
Miller went on to beat Ash Grove in the Class 3 state playoffs before falling to Steelville in the quarterfinal round.
Miller’s only other loss came against Class 6 Kickapoo.
The Lady Cardinals graduated a lone senior in starting forward Lili Merrick, who signed to play at Evangel University.
Merrick, a second team All-Southwest Conference selection, averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game last season.
The Lady Cardinals will add some extra depth with the return of juniors Emberlynn Kingsley and Addison Stockton.
Neither played basketball last season, but are key players for Miller’s highly successful volleyball team.
Kinglsey will give Miller a paint presence while Stockton possesses a high basketball IQ.
“Emberlynn is a really hard worker and brings things to the game that you can’t coach,” Price said. “We are looking for her to be someone that can score around the basket and be a great rebounder for us.
“Addi has a very good understanding of the game and plays hard. She will be a player that takes care of the basketball and knows her role. We are excited to have both of them back in our program.”
The Lady Cardinals will compete in a jamboree scrimmage on November 17 against Willard (host) and Hillcrest.
Miller hosts Mansfield on November 29 for its regular season opener.
