By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Lebanon girls basketball program saw a bit of improvement last season in head coach Brian Decker’s third season at the helm.
The Yellowjackets finished with a 9-18 record, falling to Kickapoo in the district tournament.
“Our 2024-2025 season saw us grow by one more win than the year before, and I believe we let a few more wins slip away from us for various reasons,” Decker said. “We were able to grow some of our younger varsity players’ roles, get newcomers some valuable minutes and a couple players got a year under their belt at a new position that I’m hopeful will be beneficial this coming season.”
A trio of talented upperclassmen return to lead Lebanon this season in Kenzie Perryman, Lilly Bradbury and Mithila Massey.
Perryman, a 5-foot-6 senior, averaged 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.8 assists per contest last season.
“Kenzie will be leaned on to be our primary ball handler as well as a top scorer this year,” Decker said. “She will need to bring some more vocal leadership to steer us in the right direction. Her athleticism is off the charts and something we will need more of to make a difference in each game.”
Bradbury, a 5-foot-9 junior, posted 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game as a sophomore.
“Lilly is looking to take another big step in this season,” Decker said. “She brings great physical attributes to the court that impact a game. She has a really solid all-around game and will be leaned on to be a scoring threat for us the next two years. Our staff is really excited to see how much more growth she can have this coming season.”
Massey, a 5-foot-2 junior, averaged 2.6 points per game last season.
“Mithila really has the ability to get hot from the perimeter which will be needed with the departure of Morgan Durbin,” Decker said. “Mithila will also be a secondary ball handler for us behind Perryman and has put a lot of work into that aspect over the last few months. Her experience last year will hopefully be very beneficial to her success this coming season.”
5-foot-5 sophomore Harper Starnes and 5-foot-10 Rayleigh Guccione also return for the Yellowjackets.
Decker on Starnes: “Harper was excellent in limited action last season. She is a spark plug for us on both ends of the floor. We always know what we are going to get from her which makes coaching her so enjoyable. She can hit some big shots for us and be a great defender.”
Decker on Guccione: “Ray is a long and athletic forward that gave us some great minutes in a back up role last year. She was a starter on the JV and we are looking for her to mature into another senior leader for us this year on and off the court.”
Decker also expects a trio of varsity newcomers to step in and compete for minutes this season in 5-foot-10 junior Maeli Hendrix, 5-foot-4 junior Izzy Rodriguez and 6-foot-2 freshman Aleeah Kimball.
Decker on Hendrix: “Maeli has the size to dominate in the post on both offense and defense. Maeli will be in the mix for some post work at the Varsity level. We are looking for her to take a big step forward this year.”
Decker on Rodriguez: “Izzy is a player coaches love having around. She is so coachable and does her very best every single day. Izzy will be in the mix at the guard position for us this coming season.”
Decker on Kimball: “Aleeah has size that we can’t teach. She is mobile and has great hands/feet around the basket. She can change or alter shots around the rim. We are hopeful that she can mature quickly enough to be a factor for us at multiple levels this season.”
Heading into the season, Decker believes his team could be poised for success if the younger, less experienced players can quickly adjust to the speed of the varsity game and gain the necessary confidence to compete on a nightly basis.
“I expect our players to play by our program’s 3Es (Energy, Effort & Enthusiasm),” Decker said. “If we can do that with a little self-confidence, anything is possible. We will need to have some new faces step up and lead us after the graduation of five seniors last year. In game, we will need to be way more fundamental, especially taking care of the basketball. We have had way too many careless turnovers in the past. We will also need to guard and rebound better if we want to compete with the teams on our schedule.”
Following a Nov. 17 home jamboree, Lebanon opens its season Nov. 24 at home against Webb City.
