By Chris Parker
Spokane girls basketball won three games a year ago. This season, the Lady Owls are poised to stack more wins behind one of the area’s best scorers in junior Lily Carr.
Carr averaged 23.9 points per game last season on her way to Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors in the Greater Ozarks Conference.
“The biggest strength in her ability to score is that she is elite at finishing around the rim,” Spokane head coach Kyle Singley said. “Her basketball IQ is through the roof, and she knows what spot to go to.”
Carr is more than just a scorer. She also pulled down 8.1 rebounds with 5.1 steals and 2.8 assists per game last season.
“When you hit a certain level, it is hard to have noticeable jumps in your game,” Singley said. “Lily is very clearly better than she was a year ago. She has worked very hard to improve her game, and she has added different elements to it over the offseason. I think she has more ways to score than she did a year ago and is a more disciplined player.”
Defenses will still focus on Carr, but the Lady Owls will have more balance this season.
“Lily is a special player,” Singley said. “You could coach for 30 years and you may not see anybody as talented as her. We are lucky to have her. Our team is much more well-rounded this year and she will have some of the stress taken off her. Defenses will be keying on her which will help create opportunities for teammates.”
Chloe Purdy (sophomore center), Ire Melton (junior forward), Lilly Johnson (junior guard), Hannah Branum (sophomore guard) and Shiloh White (sophomore forward) all return after each played in more than 20 varsity games last season.
Purdy, a second-team all-conference selection, led the team in rebounding with 8.9 rebounds per game to go with 5.8 points per game.
“Chloe is an elite athlete and runs the floor very well,” Singley said. “She can score inside and is the anchor for our defense. Last year, we were competitive in some games but fell off after she was in foul trouble. She will need to be disciplined and stay on the floor.”
Melton started 22 games last season and averaged 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
“Ire is fantastic at shooting the basketball,” Singley said. “She has the respect of the locker room and is a leader for us. Ire has worked really hard this offseason, and I’m looking forward to seeing her hard work pay off.”
Johnson averaged 4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game across 22 games.
“Lilly can be an all-conference level defender,” Singley said. “If we make the improvement on defense that we feel is necessary, she will be one of the biggest reasons why.”
Branum started all 25 games she appeared in last season with 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
“Hannah Branum is an undersized guard and the hardest worker in the gym,” Singley said. “She has really improved as a ball handler and a shooter. She had to play a lot last year and will compete for time this year.”
White averaged just shy of 12 minutes per game in the 25 games she saw action in last season. Singley described her as a talented scorer.
This group brings back good chemistry.
“Our biggest strength this year is cohesion and work ethic,” Singley said. “We returned our entire team, and the kids have played a lot together. Everyone is bought in, and everyone is working together to achieve our goals.”
Freshmen Leikyn Silvey (guard), Mackinzye Silvey (guard), Monroe Truitt (guard) and Leianna Arnold (guard) will all look to make immediate varsity impacts.
Singley on Leikyn Silvey: “The second she stepped in the gym; our team got a lot better. She has a high basketball IQ and can finish around the rim. She will also help out with ball handling duties.”
Singley on Mackinzye Silvey: “Like her sister, the second she stepped in the gym; our team got a lot better. She is our secondary ball handler and can help us get in the flow of our offense. We really think her improvements on defense will have a major impact.”
Singley on Truitt: “Monroe has really surprised us. We weren’t expecting her to be in the mix for varsity time, but she has blown us away. Her game is all about heart, and we trust that she will play as hard as she can every night. Her greatest strength is her defense.”
Singley on Arnold: “Leianna Arnold is one of the more offensively talented players on the team. She can score the ball.”
Overall, the entire team has come in ready to work.
This is the hardest working team that I’ve ever been around,” Singley said. “To have the kind of season we had last year and for them to still be working so hard says a lot about them. They have a huge chip on their shoulders, and they are ready to compete.”
Spokane opens the season on Nov. 21 at Ash Grove.
“I’m really excited about this season,” Singley said. “The kids are working hard and are bought in. Last year, we were fortunate just when we were in a competitive game. This year, we expect to be in competitive games and that will be fun.”
