By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Glendale girls basketball program finished with a 12-15 record last season, falling to Branson in the district tournament.
Heading into his fourth season at the helm, Glendale head coach Matt Powell believes his team is ready to see improvement on the court.
“We are looking forward to a challenging schedule this year,” Powell said. “As always, our goal will be to play our best at the end of the season and in districts. We go to the Fair Grove Tournament, Pink & White and play in the always challenging COC. We will need to be ready to play every night.”
The Falcons will be led by a talented quartet of returning starters in juniors Kensie Miner, Elle Givens, Eva Spurlin and Kaitlyn Burri.
Miner, a 5-foot-5 all-conference selection, averaged 6.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.5 assists per game last season.
“Kensie did a great job of handling the ball and initiating our offense last year,” Powell said. “She will have more help with that this season, but we look for her to continue to improve on both ends of the floor and be more aggressive on offense.”
Givens, a 6-foot-2 versatile wing, recorded 5.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
“Elle is extremely long and athletic,” Powell said. “She has improved greatly in the past couple of seasons. She can guard every spot on the floor and score around the rim. We hope Elle can take the next step into a leadership role and find the confidence in herself to become the great player we know she can be.”
The 5-foot-8 Spurlin averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest last season.
“Eva was new to the program last year, and you would have never known,” Powell said. “She fit right in and was our best on the court vocal leader. She adjusted to the speed of varsity basketball very quickly last season, and we will continue to ask her to do a little bit of everything.”
At 5-foot-8, Burri posted 3.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in 2025.
“Kaitlyn is one of the best defenders in the area,” Powell said. “She does so many things that disrupts the other team’s entire offense. Kaitlyn is a great teammate, and her motor never turns off. We will ask for a little more offensively this year, using her speed and athleticism while also working on improving her skills.”
Powell also expects a host of varsity newcomers to step in and compete for playing time this season in 5-foot-8 junior Dori Duncan, 5-foot-8 junior Hazel Sawyer, 5-foot-9 junior Cami Randall, 5-foot-8 sophomore Carly Byrd and 5-foot-10 freshman Katie Smitherman.
Powell on Duncan: “Dori was very good for us last year at the JV level. She has put in a ton of time outside of season the last few years and we expect that to show this season at the varsity level. We will look for Dori to put the ball in the basket, something we struggled with last year. She is always in the gym and very coachable.”
Powell on Sawyer: “Hazel is a solid player on both ends of the floor. She is coachable and able to play in multiple spots defensively.”
Powell on Randall: “Cami played a lot more basketball this summer and is working hard to improve her game. She’s a great program kid who is willing to do anything to help her team.”
Powell on Byrd: “Carly can help us offensively. She can make it from three and score around the rim. We hope she is able to adjust to the speed of the varsity level on the defensive end and help on the boards.”
Powell on Smitherman: “Katie is a very talented freshman who can really score in bunches. She has good skills and footwork around the basket and can make an outside shot. We need her to adjust to the speed of the varsity game and become more aggressive. There is a major adjustment for underclassmen playing varsity, but we have faith she can make the jump.”
For Glendale to remain competitive throughout the season and make a postseason push, Powell believes his young squad will need to develop quickly and adjust to the speed of the varsity game.
“We will continue to rely on our defense but look forward to being more efficient on the offensive end of the floor,” Powell said. “Our core of returning starters learned a lot last year logging significant minutes as sophomores. They understand our program expectations and love to compete. Each player can lead us in scoring any given night, and they all share the ball and play defense. The staff is looking forward to having this group for two years. They are great kids who will do anything for each other and the team.”
Following a Nov. 19 jamboree, Glendale opens its season Nov. 24 at Norwood.
