Meadow Heights Girls Basketball Preview

Conference: Mississippi Valley

Coach: Rhonda Miller, 1st year

District: Class 2 District 3

Schedule:

Date Day of Week Opponent Location Time

November 24, 2014 Monday Valley (Caledonia) Away 6 p.m.

November 25, 2014 Tuesday North County Home 6 p.m.

December 1-6, 2014 Monday-Saturday Valley Holiday Tournament Valley (Caledonia) TBA

December 9, 2014 Tuesday Perryville Home 6 p.m.

December 15, 2014 Monday St. Vincent Home 6 p.m.

December 17-23, 2014 Wednesday-Tuesday Kelso Supply Holiday Classic Show-Me Center TBA

January 5-8, 2014 Monday-Thursday Delta New Years Tournament Delta TBA

January 10, 2015 Saturday Viburnum Mineral Area College 11:30 a.m.

January 12, 2015 Monday Lesterville Away 5 p.m.

January 15, 2015 Thursday South Iron Home 6 p.m.

January 22, 2015 Thursday Woodland Away 6 p.m.

January 26, 2015 Monday Oran Away 6 p.m.

February 2, 2015 Monday Delta Home 6 p.m.

February 3, 2015 Tuesday Clearwater Away 6 p.m.

February 6, 2015 Friday St. Paul Lutheran (Farmington) Home 6 p.m.

February 9, 2015 Monday Chaffee Home 6 p.m.

February 11, 2015 Wednesday Scott City Away 6 p.m.

February 16, 2015 Monday Bismarck Home 6 p.m.

February 19, 2015 Thursday Saxony Lutheran Away 6 p.m.

Roster:

No. Player Year

1 Tatum Bollinger 9

2 Kassy Henson 10

3 Abbi Davis 9

4 Kylee Whitener 12

5 Hope Dietiker 9

12 Abi Bristow 10

13 Kiana Hotop 12

14 Eve Brewer 9

15 Emma Cook 12

20 Mollie Welker 9

21 Alaina Lochirco 12

21 Erica Richmond 11

22 Sarah Bristow 9

23 Janie Cook 9

24 Samantha Miles 10

25 Jaycee Whitener 9

32 Paige Mills 10

33 Jacque Starkey 10

34 Mayzie Thompson 10

Returning starters: Emma Cook, Kiana Hotop, Abi Bristow

Starters lost: Caitlin Cook, Hayley Thorne

Last year's record: 6-17

Postseason result: Lost to Viburnum 66-53 in a district quarterfinal

Team outlook

This season will mark a brand new experience for the Meadow Heights girls basketball team and its coach, Rhonda Miller.

Miller, a sixth-grade science teacher, has taught for 26 years at Meadow Heights and inherits a varsity and JV program that features eight freshmen and six sophomores.

"The underclassmen kind of got the short end of the deal, I think," Miller said. "They depended on maybe six players at the varsity level consistently. Two of the best varsity players graduated last year. We still have two really good guards, but we're pretty much a young team."

Despite losing starters Caitlin Cook and Hayley Thorne, the Panthers return three starters in Emma Cook, Kiana Hotop and Abi Bristow.

Miller has been pleased with what she's seen from her two returning seniors, Cook and Hotop.

"They're very hard workers," Miller said. "They're really quick. They're more 3-point shooters. They're probably in the best shape of the whole team. They have a really good conditioning level."

Miller likes the effort she's seen from her players in practices leading up to the season.

"The thing that strikes me about this team is that they are very hard workers, and we probably have more girls out at this point than we have in several years. I will have 19 girls out altogether in varsity and JV," Miller said.

Miller is focused on preparing Meadow Heights to compete this year, but she wants her players to be ready to commit in the offseason as well by staying in shape and keeping their bodies healthy.

"The girls have to understand that championships are won in the offseason, and we don't really have that mentality right now. Hopefully, they will realize that success isn't really based on our win-loss record. It's based more on how much we improve as individuals and as a team, and I'm really pushing the team aspect," Miller said.

District breakdown

The Panthers remain in Class 2 District 3, while Advance, Chaffee and Oran will head to other districts.

Kingston, St. Vincent and Valle Catholic will join the district, which previously featured Bismarck, Ellington, Valley and Viburnum.

Miller said she's unfamiliar with the newly aligned district.

"I'm really not sure. We tried to schedule games against the teams that we'll be playing against in districts," Miller said. "I think we were able to schedule one or two that we hadn't played."

Looking back

Meadow Heights wrapped up its season with a 6-17 record, falling to Viburnum 66-53 in the first round of the district tournament.

The Panthers claimed a district crown in 2012 and finished the season 22-5 but have won only one playoff game in the two seasons since then.

"I think in the past, they've always relied on one or two players to kind of carry them through the few wins that they've gotten, and I've gotten them to focus more on the whole team instead of relying on one or two players," Miller said.

Miller believes last season provided valuable playing time for her younger players.

"I think it'll be beneficial," Miller said about last season. "The two seniors that I have that played a lot last year, they'll play big parts. We also have a girl that moved in, and she's a junior."

-- Trent Singer