By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The West Plains girls basketball program enjoyed a successful season in head coach Christy Otter’s debut season.
The Zizzers finished with a 19-9 record, falling to Marshfield in the district title game.
“Spending my first year with the Lady Zizzers began with a lot of unknowns on what our team would look like and if we would be competitive in a very tough conference and district,” Otter said. “We shared first place in the Ozark Mountain Conference with Marshfield and Rogersville and made it to the district championship game. I believe we are carrying on the tradition of Lady Zizzer basketball and with all key players returning, we are looking forward to an exciting season.”
Otter has reason for optimism, as West Plains returns its entire starting lineup from 2025, including a pair of division one targets in Ainsley McWilliams and Gillian Green.
McWilliams, a 5-foot-6 sophomore all-conference and all-district selection, averaged 11.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season.
“Ainsley is a skilled point guard that has improved her shooting in the off-season,” Otter said. “She will be more confident and comfortable in her role of running the offense and creating scoring opportunities for her teammates. Ainsley has picked up a D1 offer from Chicago State and a D2 offer from Maryville University.”
Green, a 6-foot sophomore all-conference and all-district honoree, averaged 14.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a freshman.
“Gillian is an athletic player with loads of potential and the ability to score at all three levels,” Otter said. “With the size to play inside or outside, she creates matchup problems and is an issue on defense with her shot-blocking and rebounding ability. Gillian has a Division I offer from Illinois State while drawing interest from multiple colleges including Missouri State, Michigan, St Louis University, Louisiana Tech and more.”
The sophomore duo are joined by a talented quartet of seniors in Shaylee Peterson, Zoe Shrubb, Lucy Hafer and Zoe Scharnhorst.
Peterson, a 5-foot-9 all-conference and all-district performer, posted 12.3 points and 8 rebounds last season.
“Shaylee solidified herself as a solid scorer & rebounder at the Class 5 level, averaging a double double in all conference games with a red-hot 72.5% from 2pt FG,” Otter said. “Shaylee has committed to play basketball after graduation at William Woods University.”
Shrubb, a 5-foot-5 guard, averaged 7.3 points, and 1.4 rebounds as a junior.
“A William Woods commit, Zoe can light it up from 3-point range,” Otter said. “She averaged double figures in Ozark Mountain Conference games helping capture a share of the conference title.”
Hafer, a 5-foot-7 all-conference honoree, recorded 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest last season.
“Lucy is an all-around good athlete that became an outstanding lockdown defender for us last year,” Otter said. “Headed to Drury next fall to play volleyball and basketball, Lucy is a versatile player that brings varsity experience and vocal leadership.”
Scharnhorst, a 5-foot-6 guard, averaged 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists last season.
“Zoe was a starter in all 28 games last season as a junior,” Otter said. “She brings a lot of grit and toughness to our team with her work ethic and how hard she plays. Zoe is a solid defender and will always give second effort. She has worked hard in the off season to improve her skill set and, as a result, is drawing a lot of interest and offers from NAIA and D3 schools.”
6-foot-1 junior Delani Wahome (3 ppg, 3 rpg) also returns for the Zizzers.
“Delani has a big inside presence and gave us huge minutes down the stretch last season,” Otter said. “Named our Most Improved Player last season, she gained a lot of confidence, and we are looking forward to building on that this season.”
In addition to her returning core, Otter expects several varsity newcomers to compete for minutes this season in 5-foot-8 senior Jewelia Willard, 5-foot-8 senior Cameraon Brill, 5-foot-2 sophomore Abbi Hilt and 5-foot-6 freshman Kimber Stuart.
“We have high goals for this season,” Otter said. “My girls have worked hard in the off-season developing their skill and getting stronger. We feel that we have all of the pieces to put together a team that could contend in the postseason. As long as we keep our focus on our team goals and work to make each other better every single day, we should have a season we are proud of. We will continue to do our best to outwork our opponents every single day.”
With six seniors and two battle-tested sophomores on the roster, Otter believes her team’s experience will help it develop chemistry quickly as the season progresses.
“We started two freshmen last year, so this year we have more experience and confidence in not only our individual abilities, but also our team philosophy,” Otter said. “We are ready to build off of the positives from last season and continue to grow.”
Following a Nov. 19 jamboree at Nixa, West Plains opens its season Nov. 21 in the Bluefish Shootout.
