By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
Coach Fred Ross never imagined he’d finish the season with a younger team than with which he began. But it was a reality the Wright City girls basketball program faced, as injuries kept its most experienced players sidelined, and Ross was forced to call up underclassmen. “Those younger kids needed to play JV ball, but with injuries it required us to bring them up,” said Ross. “They weren’t quite prepared for that, although they did a lot of great things.” The Wildcats finished the season 3-22, beating Montgomery County, Van-Far and Confluence Academy. “Coming in I figured we might have six or seven wins in us, but you can’t predict injuries,” said Ross. “We had the majority of our starters for our three wins." Wright City had just one senior in Rebekah Nadler, who averaged 1.3 points while appearing in 16 games. “She was our best three-point shooter,” said Ross. “Without her in there it made us kind of one dimensional.” A strong junior class helped guide the Wildcats’ limited success, with Brittany McPike leading the way inside. She was at her strongest during the first half of the season, while Margaret Shields finished as the team’s leading scorer. “We play big at times, but we’re not that big of a team,” said Ross.McPike netted 4.9 points and grabbed a team-best 9.6 boards per game. “She’s an undersized post, but her physicality was an asset for her,” said Ross. “Any time you get double digit rebounds in our conference, you’re working hard.” Shields was one of the Wildcats’ more dominant players, despite getting shuffled into different positions. She scored 6.4 points and hauled in three rebounds each night. “She did a pretty good job scoring,” said Ross. “She probably needs to work on her footwork, with having a few too many travels.” To put Wright City’s inconsistencies in perspective, Karlee Pelton was the only player on the roster to compete in all 25 games this season. But she wasn’t necessarily an offensive threat, so it created a constant dilemma for Ross. “We had to run a pretty basic offense, just because of moving people in and out of their position,” said Ross. Freshman Abbie Ogborn provided 3.4 points, while the Wildcats also got contributions from Orlanda Hill and Kayla Jefferson later in the season. “Abbie really did a good job,” said Ross. “Her shot selection at times was awkward, but I think she’ll be okay as a two shooting guard.” Ross was also complimentary of newcomer Kayla Jefferson, who should emerge as an offensive threat over the next three years. “Kayla did a good job as a freshman,” said Ross. “We needed her to shoot the ball a little more to help us out.” With the bulk of the Wildcats’ roster being underclassmen, Ross is optimistic about the future. He will return several others with varsity experience, including Rachel Taylor, Kyle Winfrey, Orlanda Hill and Keisha Thompson.
