Warrenton senior guard Rylie Cox will continue her basketball career at William Woods University (Fulton, Mo.) next fall.

The Warrior guard has missed all but two games this season while dealing with a fractured vertebrae, and she isn’t expected to return before next week’s district tournament in Hannibal.

“When I first found out, I was a little worried,” she said of her future in the sport. “But the doctors told me once I’m all the way healed I won’t have any more problems with it, so I should be fine.”

The lack of action this year didn’t stop the William Woods coaches from pursuing the 5-foot-6 guard, however.

“It feels really good to sign, especially with how the season has been going and not being able to play,” Cox said. “One of the positives was knowing that my career in basketball isn’t over; it’s going to keep going. I’ve always wanted to play in college, so this is a dream come true.”

William Woods, an NAIA program that competes in the American Midwest Conference, is 16-12 this season.

“I really like the campus, and I went up for my second visit and played with the team and practiced with the coaches, and I really enjoyed it,” Cox said. “So after meeting the coaches, my decision was pretty much set.”

Cox averaged eight points, four rebounds, four assists and 4.5 steals in the two games prior to her injury this season.

Last season she led Warrenton with 3.2 assists and 2.9 steals while averaging seven points.

Cox admitted that her injury timeout will make things difficult as she prepares for college.

She hopes to begin jogging by the middle of March, and she could begin preparing for the 2018-19 season soon after.

“Taking that much time off, you definitely lose a lot of the skill you’ve built up,” she said. “So I’m definitely going to work on my ball-handling and shooting, and hopefully I can get that going again pretty soon.”