The Harrisburg girls have had three solid weeks of practice with a nearly whole team and are eager to showcase themselves this season. Coach Ryan Richardson and the Lady Bulldogs opened strong, winning their first game of the season Saturday at Sturgeon, 37-25.

Harrisburg returns three starters from last year’s 16-12 team. 

The Bulldogs lost two key starters from last season, Carli Ellis and Brecca Thornhill. Ellis, a first-team All-Conference and All-District selection and 1,000-point scorer, averaged 13.6 points per game last year and amassed 70 blocks. Thornhill was the heartbeat of the team, scoring 8.9 points a game. She also averaged nearly five steals a contest.

“They were special players in their own regard. So, we’re going to look to not necessarily try and replace them,” said Richardson, who returns for his seventh season coaching the Lady Bulldogs. “We’re going to play to our strengths with the newcomers and the returners that we have. We’ll change a little bit about our look and a little bit about our basic philosophy.”

Harrisburg returns a key All-District starter to lead this year’s lineup. As a junior, Emma Fischer averaged 8.1 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. She started every game last year and several as a sophomore, and saw varsity playing time as a freshman. As a senior, Richardson and the Bulldogs will rely on her experience to lead a varsity team with only two seniors and two juniors.

Fischer is not only a strong basketball player, but she is a talented athlete in every capacity. She won the girls’ Class 2 state title in the javelin last year and was one of Harrisburg’s star softball players. She joined her team late in the practice schedule this year because she qualified for the state cross-country meet.

Returning starter Macie Ellis, now a junior, will add much-needed experience at the guard position. Senior Abby Rosson will take over for Carli Ellis in the paint as the Lady Bulldogs run a four-out offense.

Sophomore Jaidyn Stephenson will take over the point guard position from Thornhill. Richardson said that although she’s a sophomore, she probably has the most varsity experience of the team’s previous non-starters.

Sophomore Maddy Mitchell is expected to play considerable varsity minutes this season. She, Stephenson, and Ellis will be scoring threats from the 3-point arc.

“Jaidyn and Macie have a great 3-point shot,” Richardson said. “Maddy, who will get her first taste of varsity action this year, is a tremendous shooter.” 

Richardson said that freshmen Brette Ackman, Isabelle DeMuth, and Lainey Timbrook will also play significant roles in the team’s rotation this year.

“They’re really athletic and can do anything,” he said.

When Harrisburg takes the court this week, its high-intensity full-court game will be on full display. Despite a younger lineup, Richardson said his team will play its trademark full-court defense and offense like usual. While somewhat inexperienced, Harrisburg’s bench is deep, and Richardson said there isn’t a huge difference in talent down to the 11th player on the bench.

“We’re not going to fix what’s not broken. We want to run the floor. We always feel like we are one of the more in-shape teams. We’re going to play a ton of girls and not miss a lot.”

On Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs hosted Class 4 rival Hallsville for the home opener after the Advertiser went to press.

The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 14. But the teams moved the game up because it better fit their schedules and will be a good, hard-fought contest heading into the Thanksgiving break.

“That will be a huge early-season matchup. It’s the earliest we’ve ever played a rival,” Richardson said.

Harrisburg teams always play larger schools in order to beef up their schedules. Richardson said that every year, the team highlights a handful of games. This is certainly one of them.

“It’s a fellow Boone County school, and they’re 20 minutes away from us,” he said. “Everybody knows everybody. It’s a healthy rivalry. Both schools hate losing to one another.”

The Lady Indians hold an eight-game winning streak over Harrisburg dating back to 2018.

Other big matchups this season include Boonville and Moberly.

This season, the Bulldogs make a long-awaited return to the Glasgow Tournament, joining fellow area teams Fayette, New Franklin, Glasgow, Slater, Cairo, Marceline, and Westran. The last time the Lady Bulldogs played in the tournament, they won the title. That was in 2014. Since then, they have played against larger teams in the Centralia Tournament.

“We’ll be going back to our roots,” Richardson said.

The tournament will boast four Lewis & Clark Conference teams. And Slater is a former L&C school. After this season, Harrisburg and Fayette are leaving the conference to form the Central State 8 with six other teams. This tournament will keep those old L&C rivalries alive.

“It’s kind of a mini Lewis & Clark Tournament this year,” he said. “That’s going to be a really fun tournament for a long time.”

Harrisburg also has a strong history against both Glasgow and rival New Franklin. The latest chapter of that rivalry played out last year with an overtime decision in favor of New Franklin in the district semifinals.

Harrisburg also added two future Central State 8 teams to its schedule in Russellville and Eugene.

“This schedule is going to put our girls through the wringer,” Richardson said. “We’ve had the most spirited practices in the seven years that I’ve been here. When we scrimmage, it’s intense. Our team chemistry is really strong. It’s a fun group to coach.

“We are really excited about the season and showcasing what we can do. I think we’re going to shock a lot of people.”

Tuesday’s home opener against Hallsville was scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m.