Cassville girls hoops goes 4-2 in Branson summer jam

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

With five returning starters and several varsity roles still to be filled, Clayton Bagby, Cassville girls basketball coach, used this summer’s practices and team camps as an opportunity to evaluate the Lady Wildcats’ depth while experimenting with new ideas before the upcoming season.

The team opened its summer schedule in late May in its own gym before traveling for team camps in Monett and Branson.

“We started out about the end of May and had about six days in our own gym just working on individual skill work,” Bagby said. “We did a lot of 3-on-3 work just to try and get the ball into girls’ hands more than maybe if we went out and played 5-on-5.”

Cassville then split two games in Monett against Clever and Pierce City before heading to Branson, where the Lady Wildcats finished 4-2 against mostly unfamiliar opponents.

“We always enjoy going down there because usually at a camp like that we see a lot of teams that we don’t see,” Bagby said. “Of the six games we played, the only team that we know we’ll see next year will be Bolivar.”

Attendance varied throughout the summer, something Bagby said is expected during the offseason.

“Summer is always tough,” Bagby said. “We saw 15 or 16 different girls this summer, which is still pretty solid, but you have them hit and miss here and there.”

Only eight players made the Branson trip because of scheduling conflicts.

“We only took eight to Branson because we had a lot of girls out for different varying things that week,” Bagby said. “If they’re in town, we want them to be there, but we also understand it’s summer and they’re kids. If you’re going on vacation, go have fun.”

While Cassville returns five players who started games last season, Bagby said one of the biggest objectives this summer was identifying who will fill the remaining varsity spots.

“We’ve got five girls coming back that started last year at one point or another,” Bagby said. “From there, it’s just trying to figure out where we’re going to get the rest of our lineup from and who’s going to take those six, seven, eight and nine spots on the varsity floor.”

The absence of some returning players at Branson created additional opportunities for others to earn valuable varsity minutes.

“Obviously, we want the Kennedys, [Audrey and Taylor] there, but they weren’t able to make it down to Branson with us,” Bagby said. “All that did was give girls an opportunity to play and show us what they could do when they’re around some other varsity players.”

Among those seeing expanded action were Aubrie Atkinson and Tomi Blankenship, both returning letter winners, along with Sammi Stockton, Kynzleigh Scott and Addy Ramaeker.

“Sammi got an opportunity to play quite a bit, Kynzleigh Scott got an opportunity to play quite a bit, as well as Addy,” Bagby said. “It gave them an opportunity to see what they can do.”

The coaching staff also used the summer to test changes before the regular season.

“We’re looking to change a few things up, so it’s always a good time in summer to try a few of those things,” Bagby said. “You can see if it’s something you might be able to do or if it might be a bad idea and you probably need to look a different direction.”

One area Bagby hopes to improve is the Lady Wildcats’ half-court defense.

“We feel like after last year we could do a better job, especially in the half court defensively, than maybe we did at times last year,” he said.

Offensively, the focus is on finding the right combinations as new players step into larger roles.

“It’s just trying to figure out, with the girls that are going to come in and step up, how they’re going to fit together,” Bagby said. “What do we need to do and how do we want to attack things from the offensive standpoint?”

With summer activities winding down, Bagby said basketball now takes a back seat as most of the roster transitions into fall sports.

“Once July gets there, we kind of give way to the fall sports,” he said. “I think we only have one or two girls right now that’s not going to be involved in a fall sport.”

The coaching staff plans to provide opportunities for players to continue developing individually before basketball season resumes.

“We’ll probably open the gym in the morning so they can get a ball in their hand and get shots up,” Bagby said. “Hopefully, they do well there and come to basketball in the winter ready to go.”