By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Fair Grove girls basketball capped a magical run for its graduating senior class last season.
The 29-4 Eagles and head coach Gary Greene captured an unprecedented third-straight Class 3 state championship
“Winning our third-straight state championship was beyond all we could have hoped for,” Greene said, “What an unbelievable run we have been on. I think the expectation of success that our senior class set will resonate for years to come at Fair Grove and certainly this upcoming season.”
Heading into the winter campaign, Fair Grove will look to find replacements for its most heralded class of graduates in the school’s history, including a trio of all-state selections.
“Just the way they competed every day in practice is what will be missed,” Greene said. “Incredible kids and never took a day off ever. Each day was a war in practice and our returning kids will have to continue that attitude.”
A quartet of talented seniors return and move into prominent roles this season in Kara Padgett, Quincey Williams, Becca Kepes and Hannah Schwab.
Padgett, a 5-foot-6 guard, averaged 4 points per contest last season.
“Kara will return as our main returning player who played quite a bit,” Greene said. “Kara stepped up big for us when injuries or foul trouble plagued us last year. Kara averaged around 3 points per game but was a steady defender and the moment doesn’t scare her.”
Williams, a 5-foot-9 forward, averaged 2.0 points per game in limited minutes as a junior.
“Quincey will be a big part of what we do this year,” Greene said. “She averaged around 2 points per game but, again, there wasn’t much playing time with the kids we had, so most of our returnees didn’t see a lot of varsity time.”
Kepes, a 5-foot-7 guard, averaged 4.3 points per game last season.
“Becca is recovering from an off-season ACL,” Greene said. “Her scoring ability will be missed while she recovers. We hope to get her back by January.”
Schwab, a 5-foot-10 forward, also is returning to the team following an injury.
“Hannah will also be returning from injuries that have given her trouble the last two years,” Greene said., “I look for her to step up and be a key contributor for us.”
Junior Sage Crowley, a 5-foot-3 guard, is yet another experienced player returning to the team following an injury.“
“Our other returner would be Sage Crowley,” Greene said. “Along with Kara Padgett, she played the most minutes last year and was usually our first or second off the bench, but Sage is also recovering from off season ACL surgery. We also hope to get her back sometime in the second half of the season. Sage averaged around four points per game, as well.”
With a significant void left by eight graduates, a host of newcomers will compete for varsity minutes this season. Greene expects a trio of junior varsity prospects to step into prominent roles in Makenna Zanzie, Izzy Bruner and Allison Sechler.
Greene on Zanzie – “Makenna Zanzie had a great year last year and was the JV leading scorer and rebounder. I am excited to see what she can do this year. She is very competitive and should fit well within our system.”
Greene on Bruner – “Izzy Bruner is a guard who can shoot the ball and loves to play basketball. I expect her to handle a lot of the guard responsibilities while Becca and Sage recover. That experience should help her as the season goes along.”
Greene on Sechler – “Allison Sechler is a guard coming up off the JV who should compete for playing time. Alli can shoot the ball and has some quickness that we will need at the guard spot.”
The Eagles will also look to a trio of freshmen to fill possible roles in the varsity lineup in Kara Hart, Harper Green and Andi Evans.
Heading into his third season at the helm with an almost entirely new roster, Greene’s expectations remain.
“We are short on experience, but we are long on tradition,” Greene said. “I expect us to compete every night and have a chance to win games. We guard, and we compete to win every possession. I expect our kids to want to be on the floor for every big game and every big moment.
“We will do our best to make you work to score, and we will try to run an offense that will challenge you defensively. Those things never change. Figuring out how we do that this year may take some time due to the influx of players that are low on experience. This team is a blue-collar group, and that suits me just fine.”
Following a Nov. 18 jamboree at Marshfield, Fair Grove opens its season Dec. 1 in the Fair Grove Invitational Tournament.
