Tigers begin new era in wake of standout McDonald's graduation

Central had only one senior last year on a roster dominated by sophomores.

But that one senior, Megan McDonald, may have accounted for a higher percentage of her team's offense than any player in the state last season. Central's ability to find some offense will be one of the keys to a turnaround season for the Tigers.

"Megan McDonald didn't earn the all-conference player of the year for nothing," Tigers coach Amy Blattel said. "She was our leading scorer.

"However, what I've seen is our kids are all willing to step up. They're not looking for just one person to score."

The Tigers should feature a more balanced attack, with several players able to bring the ball up or create offense.

Erica Schabbing likely will be one of the players counted on to take shots. Schabbing, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, was one of the team's leading offensive performers down the stretch last season.

Along with Schabbing, 5-10 junior guard Dani Gross, 5-5 senior guard Meg Yates and 6-0 junior post player Sonja Williams all started at times last season. Jessica Johnston, a 6-0 senior post player, also was a mainstay in the lineup last season but will not be able to play for the Tigers until after Christmas due to an injury.

"The thing I've noticed in practice is we're shooting the ball a lot better," she said.

The Tigers had some success on the defensive end last year. Central's zone defense gave teams fits, including several strong showings against rival Jackson.

"I think the key to us last year is how hard we played," Blattel said. "We're going to have to be the team that doesn't go away."

Working some of the younger players into the rotation and working through some early injuries -- Central had only nine healthy players at the start of the third week of practice -- could cause some early struggles.

"I think we're going to be a lot better at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year," Blattel said.

Central opens Monday at the Farmington Tournament. Central drew the bottom seed and will face Poplar Bluff first.