By Tyler F. Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Marion C. Early girls basketball team went 17-12 last year.
Finishing five games above the .500 benchmark is reason to smile for the Morrisville girls.
And second-year MCE head coach Seth Lash couldn’t be happier for the program’s trajectory.
Gone are lettermen Addie Bess (Second-Team All-Conference), Miya Bess (Second-Team All-Conference) and Lilly Thompson (First-Team All-Conference, All-District).
But a returning core is intact for a team that fell just short of the Class 2 District 13 championship last year, falling to Skyline 69-30.
“Like last year, we are only returning four consistent varsity players. We are a young team, so we will have growing pains throughout the year,” Lash said. “We will be filling out our bench with freshmen and sophomores that would typically be filled by older players. But we had girls make strides this summer toward being quality depth pieces.”
MCE also took runner-up honors in its first season in the Greater Ozarks Conference.
“We would really like to get over the hump this year. We plan on doing that by making better decisions with the ball in our hands and being disciplined on both sides of the ball,” Lash said.
Returning this year is 5’7” senior Haley Madewell, who tallied 2.2 points and three rebounds per game last season.
Said Lash: “Haley is a tall wing who came off the bench for us last year. Her length helps her be a disruptive defender. We expect her to fill a larger role this year with losing three seniors. She has the ability to stretch the floor with her shooting ability. Being the only senior, she will need to be a strong leader for us and help us when things aren’t going our way.”
Also returning is Ireland Foster: “She is a versatile player on offense and defense. We look for her to elevate her game on both sides of the ball and be a leader for us moving forward,” Lash said.
Foster was all-conference and all-district (Class 2 District 13) one year ago, averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game last year.
Joining Foster and Madewell is 5’9” junior McKenna McLean.
Lash said of McLean: “McKenna was our backup post player last year. Like Haley, she will be expected to fill a larger role this year. I think she will surprise some people with her play this year and how well she does.”
Rounding out the returning field is Kinley Reed, who made all-conference and all-district as a freshman, averaging 15 points, two rebounds and three assists per game.
Those in-game tutorials are expected to pay dividends this season.
“Kinley stepped in as a freshman. She led us in scoring last year. We expect her to take another step this year as she will become more of a focal point for other teams,” Lash said.
The preseason jamboree is scheduled for Nov. 18 at Ozark and will feature Bolivar and Walnut Grove.
For fans, the 8th Annual Morrisville Tournament is scheduled for Dec. 1-6.
Added Lash: “I want to have a team that our student body, school, and community rally behind and enjoy watching because of hard work and effort each night. We want other teams to know that it will be a hard game to play regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard.”
